The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent Rs 96.27 crore on its election campaign in Assam during the 2026 Assembly polls, more than four times the Rs 22.62 crore spent by the Congress on general party propaganda in the state, according to expenditure statements submitted to the Election Commission.
Assam accounted for the BJP’s highest poll expenditure among the three states for which its election spending statements have been made public. Of the Rs 96.27 crore spent in Assam, Rs 76.73 crore was allocated to general party propaganda, while Rs 19.54 crore was spent on candidates and related expenses.
Advertising was the largest component of the BJP’s general propaganda expenditure in Assam, accounting for around Rs 37 crore. Another Rs 27.3 crore was spent on travel expenses related to star campaigners.
The Congress, meanwhile, reported spending Rs 22.62 crore on general party propaganda in Assam. This was the party’s second-highest state-wise propaganda expenditure, after Kerala, where it spent Rs 59.28 crore.
The wide gap in campaign spending came amid a significant disparity in the financial resources available to the two parties during the five-state Assembly elections.
According to the expenditure statements, the BJP received nearly Rs 1,473 crore at its central headquarters between March 15 and May 6, the election period. The Congress, in comparison, reported net receipts of Rs 207.17 crore across its central and state units.
The Congress reported total election expenditure of Rs 248.55 crore across Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry. Of this amount, Rs 143 crore was spent on general party propaganda, while Rs 105.55 crore went towards candidates and related expenses.
The BJP’s publicly available statements show that the party spent around Rs 159.7 crore across Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Of this, approximately Rs 130.4 crore was spent on general party propaganda, with the remaining amount going towards candidates and related expenses. Its expenditure statements for Kerala and West Bengal have not yet been made public.
The financial positions of the two parties also moved in sharply different directions during the election period. The BJP’s closing balance at its central headquarters increased from Rs 6,722.6 crore on March 15 to Rs 7,627.2 crore on May 6, a rise of Rs 904.6 crore.
In contrast, the Congress saw its combined funds across its central headquarters and five state units decline from around Rs 169.06 crore at the beginning of the election period to approximately Rs 103.2 crore by May 6 — a fall of Rs 65.86 crore.
The Assam figures highlight the substantial financial divide between the two major political parties during the election campaign. The BJP’s reported expenditure of Rs 96.27 crore was more than four times the Congress’ Rs 22.62 crore spending on general party propaganda in the state.
