Nearly half of Delhi MLAs spent less than 50% of poll expense limit: ADR

Of the 69 Delhi MLAs whose records were analysed, 31 (45 per cent) have declared election expenses amounting to less than 50 per cent of the permissible limit in their respective constituencies, according to poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The ADR said the average amount of money spent by the MLAs in the Assembly polls held in February is Rs 20.79 lakh, which is 52 per cent of the expense limit.

“The party wise average election expenses shows that the average spending for 47 MLAs from BJP is Rs 24.68 lakh (61.7 per cent of the expense limit) and for 22 MLAs from AAP, it is Rs 12.48 lakh (31.2 per cent of the expense limit),” the report said.

It also highlighted that the top three highest-spending MLAs were all from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Anil Kumar Sharma from R K Puram reported the highest expenditure at Rs 31.91 lakh (80 per cent of the limit), followed closely by Parduyumn Singh Rajput from Dwarka at Rs 31.44 lakh (79 per cent) and Ashish Sood from Janakpuri at Rs 30.68 lakh (77 per cent).

Also Read: Unequal pay, unequal power: Why Delhi’s MLAs are short-changed

The most frugal candidates were all from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Aaley Mohammed Iqbal from Matia Mahal spent only Rs 4.53 lakh (11 per cent), Veer Singh Dhingan from Seema Puri spent Rs 6.5 lakh (16 per cent) and Virender Singh Kadian from Delhi Cantonment spent Rs 6.54 lakh (16 per cent), the ADR said.

In terms of how the campaign funds were spent, 88 of the MLAs reported expenses on vehicles, making it the most common category. Public meetings and rallies with star campaigners were the next most significant category, with 72 per cent of the legislators incurring such expenses.

Meanwhile, 65 per cent declared spending on electronic or print media and 67 per cent reported expenditure on campaign workers. Additionally, 61 per cent of the MLAs spent money on campaign materials, such as banners and posters.

The report said virtual campaigning, despite growing digital outreach in other regions, was almost entirely absent. Only one MLA (1 per cent) declared expenses in this area, highlighting a strong reliance on conventional methods.

On the funding side, political parties were the main source of campaign finances. A significant 75 per cent of the total funds raised by the MLAs came from the parties.

About 11 per cent came from the candidates’ personal resources, while 14 per cent was sourced from individuals, companies and other organisations.

Of the 69 MLAs, 80 per cent said they had received financial support from their political parties, 57 per cent raised money through donations or loans and 91 per cent used personal funds during their campaigns.

The ADR report said of the 31 MLAs who declared criminal charges against themselves, 29 (94 per cent) confirmed that they spent money on publishing the mandatory declarations, while two did not.

The ADR and Delhi Election Watch have analysed 69 of the 70 election-expenditure statements submitted by the newly-elected MLAs after the Delhi Assembly polls.

The expenditure statement of one MLA, Vijender Gupta (BJP) from the Rohini constituency, was not analysed as it was not available on the website at the time of compiling the report.