Patna: As the campaign period for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections concludes, candidates across Patna district have submitted their election expenditure statements to the Collectorate, revealing sharp disparities in spending ahead of polling on November 6.
According to provisional data, RJD’s Ramanand Yadav, contesting from Fatuha, has declared the highest expenditure so far at Rs. 17.56 lakh. At the other end of the spectrum is RJD’s Bhai Virendra from Maner, who has reported expenses of just Rs. 3.49 lakh — far below the permitted limit of Rs. 40 lakh.
All candidates from Patna district filed their accounts by Tuesday, with officials verifying documents throughout the day. The district administration said the final, consolidated figures will be published on its official website later today.
How much each candidate spent
-
Ramkripal Yadav (BJP, Danapur): Rs. 13.26 lakh
-
Anant Singh (JDU, Mokama): Rs. 10.84 lakh
-
Karnaveer Singh Yadav (RJD, flood-affected area): Rs. 12.71 lakh
-
Arun Kumar (LJP-R, Bakhtiyarpur): Rs. 4.12 lakh
-
Ritesh Ranjan Singh ‘Bittu’ (Jan Suraj, Digha): Rs. 14.36 lakh
-
Dr Sanjeev Chaurasia (BJP, Digha): Rs. 9.11 lakh
-
Nitin Naveen (BJP, Bankipur): Rs. 8.06 lakh
-
Indradeep Chandravanshi (Congress, Kumhrar): Rs. 8.08 lakh
-
Shashant Shekhar (Congress, Patna Sahib): Rs. 9.05 lakh
-
Rekha Devi (RJD, Masaurhi): Rs. 13.68 lakh
-
Siddharth Saurabh (BJP, Bikram): Rs. 5.89 lakh
-
Sunil Kumar (LJP-R, Paliganj): Rs. 7.06 lakh
-
Sandeep Saurabh (CPI-ML): Rs. 4.42 lakh
-
Shyam Rajak (JDU, Phulwari): Rs. 7.91 lakh
Candidates must also upload their expenditure statements online, with the administration making digital submission mandatory.
Monitoring for transparency
The district administration said expenditure observers, flying squads and video surveillance teams continuously monitored candidate spending throughout the campaign period. The final report — incorporating field verification and candidate filings — will be available to the public and the Election Commission to promote electoral transparency.
Phase 1 at a glance
-
Voting date: 6 November (Thursday)
-
Seats: 121
-
Results: 14 November
-
Nomination & scrutiny: Completed; withdrawals closed on 20 October
