BJP Outspends Congress Four-to-One in Assam Election Campaign

Guwahati: The Bharatiya Janata Party dropped Rs 96.27 crore on its 2026 Assam election campaign. This dwarfs the Rs 22.62 crore spent by the Congress on general party propaganda. Data filed with the Election Commission confirms the massive divide.

Assam represents the BJP’s highest spending state among its currently public expenditure reports. The party put Rs 76.73 crore into general propaganda and another Rs 19.54 crore toward candidates. Advertising swallowed Rs 37 crore of that budget. Star campaigner travel costs hit Rs 27.3 crore. Congress propaganda spending in Assam hit its second-highest mark, trailing only the Rs 59.28 crore it spent in Kerala.

Resource disparities fueled the gap. Between March 15 and May 6, the BJP’s central headquarters raked in nearly Rs 1,473 crore. Congress reported total net receipts of only Rs 207.17 crore across all units. As the polls wrapped, the BJP’s closing balance surged to Rs 7,627.2 crore, an increase of Rs 904.6 crore. Congress funds moved in the opposite direction. The party saw its combined bankroll drop to Rs 103.2 crore, a fall of Rs 65.86 crore.

The total election footprint also highlights uneven scales. Congress spent Rs 248.55 crore across Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry. The BJP reported spending Rs 159.7 crore in Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry alone. The Assam figures show how money drives the race. The state data underlines "the scale of the financial divide in the state’s election campaign," with the BJP spending over four times more than its rival.