New Delhi: For the last round of the assembly elections concluded in May this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent a total of Rs 529.38 crore, the party’s expenditure reports to the Election Commission of India (ECI) have revealed.Interestingly, Rs 286 crore, which is more than half of the total amount was spent on West Bengal by the saffron party. The election spending of the BJP in West Bengal is more than what the BJP collectively spent on three states and one Union Territory (UT) during the elections, reported Indian Express.The BJP’s closing balance at the end of the election cycle stood at Rs 7,689.06 crore in the form of bank balance and cash in hand, after receipts of Rs.1,494 crore during the election period.The expenditure reports submitted by the BJP to the ECI indicate that in West Bengal, the party spent Rs.217.16 crore on general party campaign and Rs.69.83 crore as expenditure on candidates, including Rs 58.80 crore given to candidates.In comparison, the party spent Rs 96.26 crore in Assam, Rs 82.67 crore in Kerala, Rs 51.56 crore in Tamil Nadu and Rs 11.89 crore in Puducherry, with a collective spending of Rs 242.38 crore, a figure which is still lesser than the amount spent in Bengal.At present, while there are limits on how much a candidate can spend on contesting elections, parties are free to spend an unlimited amount on fighting polls.Following the elections, parties are required to submit a detailed account of the expenses incurred, including those pertaining to spending on travel, rallies, advertisements and campaign materials.The BJP came to power in West Bengal for the first time after the 2026 assembly elections.The Wire had earlier reported that BJP’s net receipts were seven times more than Congress’s during the last round of assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.