New Delhi: As per the report presented by Election Commission of India, the BJP has spent almost double of what the Congress spent on its 2022 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections for campaign only to lose.
The BJP has declared an expenditure of Rs. 49,68,71,533, where as the Congress’ expenditure report showed a gross expenditure of Rs. 27,01,78,819 as per the expenditure reports published by the EC.
In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP spent Rs.26.65 Crore on general party propaganda including Rs.15.19 Crore on the travel costs of star campaigners like Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President J. P. Nadda, Rs. 8.5 Crore on advertisements, and Rs.1.49 Crore on public meetings, rallies etc.
The majority of spending for both parties was in the form of payments to their candidates or State unit – Rs.14.80 Crore of the total Rs. 27.01 Crore Congress expenditure went to candidates and Rs. 28 Crore out of the BJP’s spending of Rs. 49.68 crore went to the party’s state unit. The rest, Rs. 12.21 Crore, of the Congress’ expenditure was on general party propaganda. The party spent Rs.5.28 Crore on the travel of star campaigners Rajiv Shukla, Anand Sharma, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel and Sukhvinder Singh Sukku, who became Chief Minister after the Congress won the elections. In the results that were declared on December 8, the Congress won 40 seats and the BJP 25.