Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which suffered a drubbing in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha, spent Rs 54.60 crore on its MP and MLA candidates.
According to the party’s election expenditure statement to the Election Commission (EC), a payment of Rs 50 lakh was made to each of 21 MP candidates and Rs 30 lakh to each of 147 MLA candidates. The money was transferred to the bank accounts of the candidates through real-time gross settlement (RTGS).
While there is no cap on how much parties can spend, the EC has prescribed the expenditure limit as Rs 95 lakh for each Lok Sabha candidate and Rs 40 lakh for each Assembly candidate.
The BJD, however, has provided on information on expenses incurred in election management. The party had conducted numerous rallies and massive roadshows in the run-up to the elections from May 13 to June 1. Several celebrities had also campaigned for its candidates.
The regional party was also accused of distributing cash among voters. A BJP delegation had submitted a memorandum to the chief electoral officer (CEO) and a purported video in which BJD’s Rayagada district unit Sudhir Kumar Das was seen distributing Rs 2,000 to each voter openly.
While the BJD drew a blank in the Lok Sabha elections, its Assembly tally dropped to 51 from 112 in 2019, putting an end to the 24-year-long tenure of Naveen Patnaik as the chief minister of Odisha.
NIL EXPENSE FOR CONGRESS
The Congress, on the other hand, did not spend a single penny on its candidates in Odisha, according to a statement submitted by AICC treasurer Ajay Maken.
The party had fielded candidates in 145 of 147 assembly seats in the state.
Similarly, CPIML, Aam Aadmi Party and BSP, which fielded candidates in the state elections, provided them with no funds to fight the opponents.
The Socialist Party has submitted having spent Rs 29 lakh while the BJP is yet to disclose its election expenses.
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