BJP spent Rs 1,738 crore to win 240 seats in Lok Sabha polls, triple Congress’ spending
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An Election Commission report revealed exorbitant expenses by the BJP during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, amounting to Rs 1,737.68 crore—37% higher than the Rs 1,264.33 crore spent during the 2019 elections—and three times the combined expenses of the Congress for the parliamentary and four state elections, which stood at Rs 584.65 crore.
The report indicated that the BJP allocated Rs 1,492.39 crore towards general party propaganda and Rs 245.29 crore towards candidate-related expenses during the elections, where the party won 240 seats and retained power through its alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), The Indian Express reported.
A substantial portion of the BJP’s spending, approximately 35% or Rs 611.50 crore, was directed towards advertisements across electronic and print media, social media platforms, phone calls, and text messages. Google India and Facebook accounted for nearly 30% of the advertising expenditure, receiving Rs 156.95 crore and Rs 24.63 crore, respectively.
The party headquarters also recorded expenses of Rs 168.92 crore on the travel arrangements for star campaigners, including prominent leaders such as BJP President J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Additionally, Rs 55.75 crore was spent on publicity materials, including hoardings, caps, flags, and sarees, while Rs 19.84 crore was utilised for organising public meetings. The party’s expenditure further included Rs 19.58 crore on surveys and Rs 1.79 crore on “Namo Stalls.”
The Congress, on the other hand, allocated a significant portion of its Rs 584.65 crore expenditure to advertisements, which accounted for 70% of its spending. Its report, submitted to the Election Commission in August 2024, detailed expenses for the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
The Election Commission had announced the elections on March 16, 2024, with polling conducted in seven phases, concluding on June 4, 2024. The BJP’s report, dated January 22, was filed beyond the 90-day deadline, with an apology for the delay included in the cover letter.