New Delhi: Expense statements filed with the Election Commission after the Bihar Assembly election held in November 2025 show a sharp contrast between the BJP and the Congress in both spending patterns and outcomes.
The BJP, which contested 101 seats alongside Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), won 89 constituencies, while the JD(U) won 85. Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister, with BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha taking oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. The Congress, in opposition, won only six seats.
According to the filings, the BJP spent Rs 146.71 crore in the election, while the Congress spent Rs 35.07 crore. Though the BJP’s spending was higher in absolute terms, it amounted to only about 2% of its total funds of Rs 7,235.26 crore, leaving it with Rs 7,088.58 crore.
The Congress, however, spent about 28% of its total funds of Rs 124.2 crore, with its balance falling to Rs 89.13 crore. Based on seats won, the BJP’s average spend worked out to about Rs 1.64 crore per winning MLA, while the Congress’s figure was about Rs 5.83 crore per winning MLA.
The BJP’s spending included Rs 117 crore on star campaigners’ travel and advertisements, Rs 14.27 crore paid to Google India for digital campaigning, and Rs 29.71 crore provided directly to candidates. The Congress reported Rs 12.83 crore for star campaigners’ travel and Rs 11.24 crore for social media outreach, including expenditure linked to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’. The RJD and JD(U) are yet to submit their expense reports.
