NEW DELHI:The BJP had spent over 60 per cent of the total expenditure by all political parties, on publicity, travel, miscellaneous expenses and lumpsum amount to the candidates in the 2014 Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls, according to a report the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The ADR report says the total expenditure collectively by all the parties in these two elections were Rs 362.87 crore.
With an expenditure of Rs 226.82 crore, the BJP came first, with the Congress in second place with a total expenditure of Rs 63.31 crore.
Of the total expenditure of Rs 362.87 crore by all the political parties, Rs 280.72 crore (77.36 per cent) was spent on publicity, followed by Rs 41.40 crore on travel expenses.
ADR founding member Jagdeep Chhokar speaking to media "The BJP has incurred the maximum -- Rs 186.39 crore -- under Publicity, which forms 66.40 per cent of the total expenditure incurred by all political parties on Publicity," the ADR said. Speaking to ETV Bharat, One of the founding members of ADR, Jagdeep Chhokar said that the political parties should give the detail of their expenditure to the Election Commission on time.
"Those parties who do not give their expenditure details on time should be penalised. The Election Commission should take strict action in this regard," said Chhokar.
The ADR report also said that among the political parties, the BJP collected the maximum funds at Rs 296.74 crore.
"Of the total funds collected by the BJP, the Central headquarters got 58.69 per cent (Rs 174.159 crore), while the Maharashtra unit got Rs 122.28 crore, and the Haryana unit got Rs 0.303 crore," the report added.
The Congress also came second in terms of fund collections with Rs 84.37 crore.
It is to be noted that the BJP came to power in the two states in 2014. Both states are going for polls on October 21.
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