MK Stalin’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has spent Rs 35.40 crore in 2021-22, according to the party’s annual balance sheet. Of this, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu has spent Rs 30.62 crore, or 87 per cent, on advertising.
Its arch-rival, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), is not far behind as the main opposition party in the southern state has spent about 78 per cent — Rs 22.28 crore — on advertisements, official data analysed by News18 shows.
Last week, the Election Commission of India made public the audit reports of national and regional parties in India and of these, News18 has analysed the expenditure of 17 parties. Among the parties were NCP, YSRCP and CPI, who have not spent any amount on advertisement as per their annual audit reports submitted to the poll body. CPM and Congress have not provided the break-up for their election expenditure in the audit report.
Among the other parties analysed were: BJP, Aam Aadmi Party, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), JDU and RJD from Bihar, Andhra Pradesh’s main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), SP and BSP from UP, Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Telangana’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) (now known as Bharat Rashtra Samithi BRS).
If the absolute amount is considered, it is the BJP that has spent the highest amount of money, Rs 313.17 crore, on advertisement and publicity. However, in terms of share of advertisements in the party’s total expenditure during the financial year, the BJP is at a lower position. Of BJP’s total expenditure during 2021-22, 75 per cent was on election and general propaganda. This includes advertisement and publicity; travelling and financial assistance to the candidates.
The party spent Rs 164.01 crore on advertisements apart from Rs 18.41 crore on audio and video creatives while advertisement on electronic media cost Rs 72.28 crore. Another 36.33 crore were spent on cutouts, hoarding and banners. Advertisement via printed material cost Rs 22.12 crore. The party has spent 37 per cent of its total expenditure on advertisement and publicity, the data shows.
Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK has spent Rs 10.67 crore on print and electronic advertisement and another Rs 19.95 crore on cable and TV channels. Advertisement makes up over 97 per cent of party’s election expenditure and 87 per cent of party’s total expenditure during 2021-22. In total, the party spent Rs 31.54 crore on elections out of Rs 35.40 crore expenditure, as per the audit report.
Mamata Banerjee’s TMC has spent Rs 268.33 crore in total and 50 per cent of this, Rs 135.12 crore, on election expenditure. The party has spent Rs 28.95 crore for publicity, making just 11 per cent of the total expenditure. Among the other expenses of the party were those done on travel — aircraft and helicopter travel cost the party Rs 35.59 crore during 2021-22, double of that spent in 2020-21 — Rs 18.96 crore.
The party spent Rs 1.82 crore in salaries and wages of the employees during 2021-22, up from Rs 58.32 lakh in 2020-21. It spent another Rs 25.81 crore on administrative and general expenses, up from Rs 3.96 crore during 2020-21.
Tamil Nadu’s main opposition AIADMK has spent Rs 28.43 crore during 2021-22, including Rs 22.47 crore election expenditure. A total of 22.28 crore, or 78 per cent of the total expenditure, was on print and electronic advertisement while another Rs 18.47 lakh were travel expenses of star campaigners.
Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP spent Rs 30.29 crore during 2021-22. Of this, Rs 13.66 crore was propaganda expenses and the amount spent on public interactions while another Rs 11.34 crore was election expenditure. The party spent Rs 4.27 crore as administrative and general expenses and Rs 61 lakh on employee cost. The party’s audit report shows that it has spent Rs 13.85 crore, or 46 per cent of the total expenditure, on advertisement, that included media campaign worth Rs 4.68 crore; advertisement on electronic media worth Rs 4.88 crore and another Rs 1.77 crore on cutouts, hoardings, banners and other similar items.
During 2021-22, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) spent Rs 85.17 crore, including Rs 69.59 crore on elections. BSP’s election expenditure also included publicity expenses worth Rs 13.83 crore, accountable for 16 per cent of party’s total expenditure, according to the party’s audit report.
Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has spent Rs 28.63 crore during 2021-22. Of this, Rs 23.04 crore was election expenditure during the by-polls in Pipili assembly and Zila Parishad and urban polls. During urban elections, the party spent Rs 5 crore in advertisement while in Zila Parishad, the party spent Rs 11 crore on advertisement. The party has spent 56 per cent of its total expenditure on advertisement.
Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United (JDU) has spent Rs 4.15 crore during 2021-22. Of this Rs 1.82 crore was on election expenditure and Rs 1.85 crore was on administrative and general expenses. The party has spent Rs 36.82 lakh on advertisement through print and electronic media. In 2020-21, when Bihar went for polls, Rs 24.3 crore was spent by the party of which Rs 22.31 crore was election expenditure. An amount of Rs 5.65 crore was on advertisement in print and electronic media during 2020-21. Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, now an ally of JDU, has spent just Rs 33,000 on advertisement, according to the party’s audit report.
Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) has spent Rs 7.56 crore on advertisement, 14 per cent of its total expenditure of Rs 54 crore while the TRS has spent Rs 7.12 crore on advertisement, about 25 per cent of its total expenditure worth Rs 27.93 crore. TDP has spent just six per cent of its total expenditure – Rs 1.66 crore out of total expenditure worth Rs 25.57 crore – on advertisement.
In 2021-22, CPM spent Rs 83.41 crore, including Rs 13.03 crore spent on elections, while Congress spent Rs 400 crore during that financial year and of that Rs 279.73 crore was spent on elections.
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