LS polls expenditure may touch Rs 1.35 lakh cr in 2024, say experts

Kolkata: The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are on track to break past records and become the most expensive electoral event in the world, according to a poll expert.

The estimated expenditure is expected to reach a staggering Rs 1.35 lakh crore, more than double the Rs 60,000 crore spent in 2019, claimed N Bhaskara Rao, who chairs the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a not-for-profit organisation, and has been tracking election spending for 35 years.ao stated that this comprehensive expenditure encompasses all spending, direct or indirect, related to polls, including that by political parties and organisations, candidates, the government, and the Election Commission.

With the BJP vying for a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, industry observers have noted the party’s dominant presence in campaigns, irrespective of the mediums used for publicity.

In an interview, Rao said he revised the initial expenditure estimate from Rs 1.2 lakh crore to Rs 1.35 lakh crore, factoring in electoral bond disclosures and accounting for all election-related expenses.

“Initially, we estimated the expenditure at Rs 1.2 lakh crore. However, post the electoral bond stake disclosures, we’ve revised the figure to Rs 1.35 lakh crore,” he said, adding that this estimate covered spending that took place 3-4 months before voting dates were announced. Rao emphasised that money flowed into the process through various means beyond electoral bonds.

Recent observations by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) revealed a “significant lack of transparency” in political funding in India.

From 2004-05 to 2022-23, approximately 60 per cent of contributions to the nation’s six major political parties, totalling Rs 19,083 crore, came from undisclosed sources, including funds from electoral bonds, it claimed.

The ADR has, however, refrained from providing any cumulative expenditure projections for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

“Pre-election activities are integral to campaign spending by parties and candidates, covering political rallies, transportation, hiring of workers including field and influencers and even the controversial horse-trading of political leaders,” Rao said.

The Election Commission’s budget to manage the polls is expected to be 10-15 per cent of the total expenditure projection, he added. With a voter base of 96.6 crore, per-voter spending is estimated at around Rs 1,400. This surpasses the expenditure of the 2020 US elections, which stood at USD 14.4 billion or Rs 1.2 lakh crore, according to OpenSecrets.org, a nonprofit organisation based in Washington, DC.

Media campaigns across various platforms are predicted to account for 30 per cent of the total election spend, Rao said. “While visible spending is concentrated in the 45-day direct campaign period, the actual expenditure far exceeds this amount,” he added.