Patna: A new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has shed light on the campaign expenditures of winning candidates in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, revealing wide disparities in spending and instances of underreporting.
According to the ADR analysis, the average expenditure of the 240 winning MLAs was Rs 24.33 lakh, significantly below the Election Commission’s maximum limit of Rs 40 lakh. Nearly 42% of winners reported expenses well under the stipulated limit, while some candidates won despite minimal spending.
Among the parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) topped the list, with its 89 MLAs spending an average of Rs 27.36 lakh per candidate. The Janata Dal (United) followed with an average of Rs 25.53 lakh, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) recorded a lower average of Rs 19.57 lakh.
ADR Convener Rajiv Kumar noted, “The expenditure of the MLAs has been analysed. The analysis revealed that most MLAs have underreported their expenses. Some MLAs even won the elections with very low expenditure. We have also analysed the expenditure on a party-wise basis.”
Several individual cases highlighted the extremes of election spending. RJD MLA Alok Kumar Mehta spent the most among all winners, reporting Rs 36.55 lakh. In contrast, Nagendra Raut of the Janata Dal (United) declared an expenditure of just Rs 79,000, while other candidates reported amounts close to the maximum permissible limit.
Party-wise, other figures include:
- Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas): Rs 19.60 lakh average for 19 MLAs
- Indian National Congress (INC): Rs 13 lakh average for 6 MLAs
- Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular): Rs 16.89 lakh average for 5 MLAs
- All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM): Rs 17.37 lakh average for 5 MLAs
- Rashtriya Lok Morcha: Rs 24.84 lakh average for 4 MLAs
- CPI (ML) (L) and CPI (M): Rs 17.05 lakh average for their respective MLAs
- Indian Inclusive Party: Rs 21.39 lakh for 1 MLA
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP): Rs 18.34 lakh for 1 MLA
The report underscores the continued challenge of transparency in election spending, with underreporting remaining a significant concern in Bihar’s political landscape.
