NEW DELHI: Six parties – BJP, TDP, CPM, LJP (Ram Vilas), Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) – ended General Election 2024 with more funds upon the completion of the poll process than what they had at the start and what they managed to raise during the campaign period.
Also, the aggregate funds held by 22 major political parties in their ‘closing balance’ – comprising cash in hand and bank balance/deposits – on the conclusion of the 2024 polls were 31% more than their collective ‘opening balance’ on the day of poll announcement, as per an analysis of election expenditure reports filed by these parties with Election Commission.
The analysis by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) director Venkatesh Nayak shows that 22 parties – including five national parties BJP, Congress, CPM, AAP and BSP, and 17 regional parties that include Trinamool Congress, DMK, BRS, TDP, YSR Congress, SP and JDU among others – between them held an opening balance of Rs 11,326 crore on the day General Elections to Lok Sabha and four state assemblies were announced in 2024. Having raised Rs 7,416 crore during the poll process and spent Rs 3,861.6 crore, the 22 parties wound up with an aggregate closing balance of Rs 14,848 crore on the day polls were completed.
As per the study, BJP topped the charts with the highest opening balance of Rs 5,921.8 crore as well as closing balance of Rs 10,107.2 crore. Congress, the main opposition party, ranked ninth among the 22 parties in terms of opening balance, and slipped to 12th position when it came to closing balance.
BJP declared an opening kitty of Rs 5,922 crore, raised Rs 6,268 crore and spent Rs 1,738 crore on the general election last year, but, as per its election expenditure statement, ending up richer with a closing balance of Rs 10,107 crore. The closing balance of BJP exceeded its opening balance by Rs 4,185 crore, that of TDP by Rs 65.4 crore, CPM by over Rs 8 crore, LJPRV byRs 9.9 crore, SDF by Rs 76 lakh and AIUDF by Rs 3.6 lakh.
The 22 parties whose poll spend was analysed by CHRI together had fielded 1,595 candidates, of which 480 were elected to the 18th Lok Sabha. This is more than 88% of the Lok Sabha’s strength.
BJP raised 84.5% of the total amount received by the 22 parties, as per the study. The party declared a total poll spend of Rs 1,738 crore, which forms 45% of the total campaign expenditure of the 22 parties.
Over Rs 992.4 crore was collectively spent by the 22 parties on media advertisements; seven parties spent an additional Rs 196.2 crore on social media and virtual campaigning. Total expenditure by all 22 parties on travel of star campaigners was Rs 830 crore, while another Rs 395.5 crore was spent on publicity material and Rs 130 crore on organising public meetings.
The 22 political parties together spent Rs 26.7 crore on advertising criminal antecedents of their candidates, with BJP running up the highest bill of over Rs 9 crore. BSP spent Rs 5.9 crore on this head and Congress Rs 3.3 crore.
