NEW DELHI: In the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Indian National Congress allocated Rs 70 lakh each to its leader Rahul Gandhi to contest from the constituencies of Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. This financial support, disclosed in the party’s submission to the Election Commission, reflects the strategic importance the Congress placed on these key seats. Rahul Gandhi, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition, emerged victorious from both constituencies but ultimately chose to retain the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh.
In addition to Rahul Gandhi, several other prominent Congress candidates were also provided with Rs 70 lakh for their campaigns. This group included Kishori Lal Sharma, who successfully defeated BJP’s Smriti Irani; K C Venugopal from Alappuzha, Kerala; Manickam Tagore from Virudhnagar, Tamil Nadu; Radhakrishna from Gulbarga, Karnataka; and Vijay Inder Singh from Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. These candidates were part of the Congress’s broader strategy to secure key constituencies across the country.
However, not all Congress candidates met with success. Vikramaditya Singh, who received the highest amount of funding from the party at Rs 87 lakh, faced a challenging contest against BJP’s Kangana Ranaut in the Mandi constituency of Himachal Pradesh. Despite the substantial financial backing, Singh was unable to secure victory, losing to Ranaut in a closely watched battle.
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The Congress party’s allocation of funds to its candidates highlights the significant resources required to contest in the country’s parliamentary elections. The party’s financial disclosures also revealed that senior leaders Anand Sharma and Digvijay Singh, who were allocated Rs 46 lakh and Rs 50 lakh respectively, both faced defeats in their respective constituencies.
In total, the Congress secured 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a significant but insufficient number to challenge the ruling BJP. The financial details provided by the Congress offer insight into the party’s electoral strategy and the financial dynamics of Indian politics.
It is important to note that while there is a cap on the amount a candidate can spend on electioneering, there are no such restrictions on the amount that political parties can spend on behalf of their candidates. The Election Commission of India had, in January 2022, increased the expenditure limit for candidates in the Lok Sabha elections from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 95 lakh for larger states and from Rs 28 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for assembly polls.
In line with these regulations, the Congress party submitted its ‘part election expenditure statement’ to the Election Commission last month. This statement covered the Lok Sabha elections as well as the legislative assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. The transparency in these financial disclosures is a step towards ensuring accountability in the electoral process.
As the political landscape in India continues to evolve, the financial strategies employed by parties like Congress will play a crucial role in shaping electoral outcomes and influencing the future of the nation.
