BJP spends Rs 96 crore in Assam polls, over four times Congress’ Rs 22.6 crore

The BJP spent Rs 96.27 crore on its election campaign in Assam during the 2026 Assembly polls, more than four times the Rs 22.62 crore spent by the Congress on general party propaganda in the state, according to expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission.

Assam accounted for the BJP’s largest share of poll expenditure among the three states for which its statements have been made public. Of the Rs 96.27 crore spent in Assam, Rs 76.73 crore was allocated to general party propaganda, while Rs 19.54 crore went towards candidates and related expenses.

Advertising emerged as the biggest component of the BJP’s general propaganda expenditure in Assam, accounting for around Rs 37 crore. Travel expenses related to star campaigners amounted to another Rs 27.3 crore.

The Congress, meanwhile, reported spending Rs 22.62 crore on general party propaganda in Assam. The figure was the party’s second-highest state-wise propaganda expenditure after Kerala, where it spent Rs 59.28 crore.

The sharp gap in campaign spending came amid a major disparity in the financial resources available to the two parties during the five-state Assembly elections.

According to the statements, the BJP received nearly Rs 1,473 crore at its central headquarters between March 15 and May 6, the election period. The Congress, in contrast, reported net receipts of Rs 207.17 crore across its central and state units.

The Congress reported total election expenditure of Rs 248.55 crore across Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry. Of this, Rs 143 crore was spent on general party propaganda and Rs 105.55 crore on candidates and related expenses.

The BJP’s available statements show that it spent around Rs 159.7 crore across Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, with approximately Rs 130.4 crore going towards general party propaganda and the remainder towards candidates and related expenses. Its expenditure statements for Kerala and West Bengal are yet to be made public.

The financial position of the two parties also moved in sharply different directions during the election period. The BJP’s closing balance at its central headquarters rose to Rs 7,627.2 crore on May 6 from Rs 6,722.6 crore on March 15 — an increase of Rs 904.6 crore.

The Congress, on the other hand, saw its combined funds across its central headquarters and five state units fall from about Rs 169.06 crore at the beginning of the election period to around Rs 103.2 crore by May 6, a decline of Rs 65.86 crore.

The Assam figures underline the scale of the financial divide in the state’s election campaign, with the BJP’s reported expenditure of Rs 96.27 crore more than four times the Congress’ Rs 22.62 crore spending on general party propaganda.