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2020 polls: BJP spent highest, RJD lowest among key players
PATNA The Bhartiya Janata Party( BJP) was the highest spender in the 2020 assembly elections in Bihar, spending around ₹71
PATNA
The Bhartiya Janata Party( BJP) was the highest spender in the 2020 assembly elections in Bihar, spending around ₹71.72 crore on campaigning and candidates, according to expenditure reports filed by political parties to the Election Commission of India (ECI) recently.
BJP won 74 seats of the 110 seats it contested.
Its ally Janata Dal (United), to which chief minister Nitish Kumar belongs, spent ₹22.67 crore. The party fought in 115 seats and won 43.
On the other side of the aisle, the Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD), which is the main Opposition party, spent just ₹7.93 crore, far less than its ally Congress, which spent ₹30 crore.
RJD had won 75 of the 144 seats it contested while Congress won just 19.
RJD’s poll expenditure report is still not visible on the ECI’s website, but its treasurer and MLC Sunil Kumar Singh said the party had sent the report to the central poll panel within the stipulated time limit, which is within 75 days of the conclusion of polls.
Compared to 2015 polls, BJP spent ₹30 crore less during the last year’s elections while RJD and JD(U) spent more. As per data, BJP spent over ₹100 crore in 2015 while Congress spent ₹18 crore and RJD ₹94 lakh. JD(U) had spent ₹13.97 crore in the 2015 assembly polls.
Coming back to 2020 polls, the All India Majlis –E-Ittehadul- Muslimeen (AIMIM), which won five seats, has shown an expenditure of ₹3.14 lakh.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which won only one seat, has shown an expenditure of ₹4.79 crore.
BJP leader and MLC Devesh Kumar said his party and ally JD(U) declared their poll expenditure in a transparent manner but the expenditure information furnished by other parties, including RJD, appeared less convincing.
“The EC should probe the election expenses furnished by the parties,” he said.
RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh shot back. “RJD has been in opposition for long and gets small contributions. Whatever expenses were incurred by RJD have been shared. But some parties having deep pockets have understated their election expenses. It should be looked into,” he said.
Headline: Election expenditure
Intro: The central poll panel recently uploaded election expenditure reports submitted by parties for 2020 Assembly polls in Bihar
2020 polls
BJP: ₹71.72 cr
JD(U): ₹22.67 cr
Congress: ₹30 cr
RJD: ₹7.93 cr
2015 polls
BJP: ₹100 cr
JD(U): ₹13.97 cr
Congress: ₹18 cr
RJD: ₹94 lakh
