BJP spent Rs 252 crore in state polls, 60% of it in West Bengal

The BJP spent ₹ 252 crore in the assembly elections held in Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala earlier this year. Almost 60 per cent of the money was used for campaigning in West Bengal alone.

According to the Election Expenditure Statement submitted to the poll panel, of the ₹ 252 crore spent by the BJP, ₹ 43.81 crore was for the Assam polls and ₹ 4.79 crore for the Puducherry assembly election.

In Tamil Nadu, where the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) snatched power from its arch-rival AIADMK, the BJP spent ₹ 22.97 crore in its campaign. The party got just 2.6 per cent of the votes i the state.

The BJP pushed full throttle in its campaign against the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, spending ₹ 151 crore in the state.

In Kerala, where the incumbent LDF retained power, the BJP spent ₹ 29.24 crore.

The election expenditure statements submitted by the political parties to the Election Commission have been put in the public domain by the poll panel.