11 parties collect Rs 2,077 cr in funds for Gujarat, HP polls of 2022: ADR

The ADR analysis is based on the election expenditure statements that political parties must submit to the Election Commission within 75 days of completion of Assembly elections

Leading political parties collected Rs 2,077.81 crore as funds during the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly elections held in November-December 2022 and spent Rs 288.35 crore on election-related activities, according to an analysis by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The ADR analysis is based on the election expenditure statements that political parties are required to submit to the Election Commission within 75 days of the completion of Assembly elections. Eleven political parties have submitted their election expenditure statements to the Election Commission for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. These include the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), Communist Party of India (CPI) and some other smaller parties.

 

The expenditure statement contains information on the amount the party spent at both central and state levels on publicity, travel, and campaigns on virtual and social media. Political parties submit these statements, providing details on funds collected and spent between the announcement and conclusion of elections.

According to the ADR analysis, of the total Rs 2,077.81 crore collected by the 11 parties, the BJP collected Rs 1,800.72 crore, the Congress Rs 209.46 crore, and the AAP Rs 59.39 crore.

The combined expenditure of the 11 parties was Rs 288.35 crore. Of the money spent by these parties, the BJP's share was Rs 194.89 crore or 67.59 per cent, the Congress's Rs 67.93 crore and the AAP's Rs 20.21 crore.

In the case of the BJP, out of the Rs 1,800.72 crore collected, its central headquarters collected Rs 1,733.49 crore, its Gujarat unit Rs 63.81 crore, and its Himachal Pradesh unit Rs 3.41 crore.

As for the Congress, out of the Rs 209.46 crore collected, its central headquarters gathered Rs 143.03 crore, its Himachal Pradesh unit Rs 19 crore, and its Gujarat unit Rs 47.43 crore. In the case of the AAP, out of the Rs 59.39 crore collected, its central headquarters amassed Rs 59.29 crore, and its Gujarat unit the remainder.

Thus, funds collected by the parties at the central headquarters amounted to Rs 1,943.64 crore, and the expenditure was Rs 110.94 crore. Gujarat state units spent Rs 168.65 crore, and Himachal Pradesh state units Rs 8.76 crore.

The total funds collected by nine political parties that contested both the 2017 and 2022 Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly elections were Rs 352.06 crore and Rs 2,077.49 crore, respectively. The increase in total funds was 490 per cent, or Rs 1,725.43 crore.

The BJP declared funds amounting to Rs 1,800.72 crore during the 2022 Assembly elections, while it declared Rs 251.01 crore in the 2017 elections—an increase of 617 per cent or Rs 1,549.71 crore.

The Congress declared funds amounting to Rs 209.46 crore during the 2022 Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, compared to Rs 71.15 crore in the 2017 elections—an increase of 194 per cent or Rs 138.31 crore.

Five political parties, namely the Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Janata Dal (United), and Nationalist Congress Party, declared a decrease in the funds they collected during 2022 compared to the 2017 Assembly elections.