The ruling Biju Janata Dal has claimed that its candidates spent no more than Rs7 lakh each on their last election campaign. In its poll expenses submitted to the Election Commissioner, the party claimed it spent just Rs12.62 crore on campaigning of all its 168 candidates, 147 for the Assembly and 21 for the lok Sabha, in April last year.
Observers are taking the claim with a sense of utter disbelief. They say the party spent at least Rs10 crore for each Assembly constituency and the amount went as high as Rs18-22 crore for key constituencies where competition was stiff.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik himself toured across the State by a helicopter for campaigning and held over 250 election meetings. Observers put the helicopter charges alone to be more than Rs13 crore!
Unofficially, even several BJD candidates admit that they were provided up to Rs50 lakh each at the time of nomination and received more as the campaign gathered momentum. Black money was seized from Government ambulances, police vans and even hearse vehicles during the campaign.
It may be noted that West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress spent Rs23 crore on its 42 candidates fielded for lok Sabha polls while the DMK in Tamil Nadu spent Rs41 crore on its 39 candidates and the Akali Dal in Pujab Rs22 crore on just 13 candidates.
In such a context, the BJD’s claim of having spent just Rs12. 62 crore on as many as 168 Assembly and lok Sabha candidates may go down as a big joke, say observers.