BJP also defeated SP in UP poll spend

MUMBAI: It was a keen contest between the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party in this year’s Uttar Pradesh assembly elections when it came to poll expenditure.

Akhilesh Yadav led party spent ₹129.87 crore as compared to BJP’s ₹175 crore in January-March polls leaving Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party way behind with spending of ₹40.1 crore.

The BJP swept the polls bagging 312 of the total 403 seats while the incumbent Samajwadi Party, which was contesting in alliance with the Congress, could win only 47. The Congress, which won in 7 assemblies, is yet to submit expenditure report to the Election Commission.

It was a big leap for the Samaj-Shaina wadi Party (SP) as it had spent only ₹20.6 crore in 2012 assembly polls. The BJP also doubled its poll spending in 2017.

BJP national spokesperson NC said, “Uttar Pradesh was the largest of the five states and so the expenditure there was more. It is not that Uttar Pradesh was a priority or a prestige issue for the BJP. You have to put it in perspective of the population, the number of constituencies and the land mass of the state.”

SP state spokesperson and former UP minister Rajendra Chaudhary said, “Our expenditure was appropriate and justified given the length and breadth of the state. We gave details to EC. But BJP’s ₹175 crore is understated. They spent far more than this. In fact, manifold.”

The elections were held after demonetisation of ₹1,000 and ₹500 notes with new ₹2,000 and ₹500 notes aimed at flushing out black money. While then SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had demanded roll-back of the note ban, BSP supremo Mayawati had termed demonetisation was antipoor and Dalits.

Although the total expenditure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the hotly-contested elections to five states was ₹218.25 crore, over 80% of it was for canvassing in UP polls.

The party incurred an expenditure of ₹23.47 in Uttarakhand, ₹7.86 crore in Manipur, followed by ₹7.43 crore in Punjab and ₹4.37 crore in Goa. Except Punjab, where the Congress won, the BJP formed government in other states.

In Uttarakhand, it won 57 of the 70 seats but was able to dislodge the Congress that emerged as the majority party in Goa and Manipur. The BJP staked claim with the help of fringe parties.

(With inputs from Lucknow)