Political parties report election-period receipts, expenditure to ECI

New Delhi: Expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) have detailed the receipts and balances of major political parties during the recent round of state Assembly elections held between March 15 and May 6.

According to the statements, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reported net receipts of Rs 1,472.8 crore at its central headquarters alone during this period.

The party's closing balance at the central headquarters stood at Rs 7,627.2 crore on May 6, up from Rs 6,722.6 crore on March 15, reflecting an increase of Rs 904.6 crore over the election period.

The BJP's expenditure reports for the Kerala and West Bengal elections are yet to be made public.

Once these are available, the consolidated figures will be known.

Separately, the Congress submitted a consolidated expenditure report covering its central unit and the state units of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry.

The grand old party reported net receipts of Rs 207.17 crore and an expenditure of Rs 248.55 crore during the same March 15–May 6 period.

At the start of the election period, the Congress had around Rs 169.06 crore across its central headquarters and the five state units (Rs 22.9 crore in cash and Rs 146.1 crore in bank accounts).

By May 6, the combined balance stood at about Rs 103.2 crore. These figures are based on the expenditure statements submitted by the parties to the Election Commission as required under the rules governing election-related financial disclosures.

The statements provide a snapshot of the funds received and spent by the parties' respective units during the specified election window for the five states and Union Territory that went to the polls.

The Election Commission makes such statements public to ensure transparency in the financing of election campaigns.

Further details for individual state units and any remaining reports from the parties are expected to be released in due course as the formalities of filing and scrutiny are completed.

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