The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounted for nearly 45% of the total election expenditure during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the simultaneous Assembly elections in four states, according to a report released on Friday by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-governmental organisation.
As per the report, the BJP spent ₹1,493.91 crore during the 82-day election period from March 16 to June 6, 2024. This accounted for 44.56% of the total ₹3,352.81 crore expenditure declared by political parties. The Congress, which ranked second in terms of spending, incurred expenses of ₹620.14 crore — amounting to 18.50% of the total declared expenditure.
Among the 32 political parties analysed in the report, the BJP also received the lion’s share of political funding. The party collected ₹6,268 crore, which represents 84.18% of the total funds received by all parties during the election period. In contrast, the Congress collected ₹592.48 crore, which amounted to 7.96% of the total.
Publicity emerged as the single largest category of spending for parties, with the BJP spending ₹983.92 crore and the Congress ₹502.97 crore. These figures include expenditure on media advertisements, campaign materials, and public meetings. Altogether, parties spent over ₹2,008 crore — more than 53% of their total declared spending — on publicity alone.
Another major area of expenditure was travel, with political parties collectively spending ₹795.41 crore. Of this, ₹765.36 crore — or 96.22% — was spent on the travel expenses of star campaigners, the ADR report stated.
The analysis is based on official expenditure statements that political parties are required to file with the Election Commission of India within 90 days of a parliamentary election and within 75 days of an Assembly election. However, ADR noted significant delays in the submission of these reports.
The Aam Aadmi Party delayed its submission by the longest period — 168 days. The BJP also delayed its filings: 139 days for the Lok Sabha elections, 154 days for Arunachal Pradesh, 147 days for Sikkim, and 142 days for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The ADR's findings highlight both the concentration of financial power within the BJP and the heavy emphasis on publicity and campaign travel in Indian electoral spending.