Congress Spent Rs 467 Crore During 2022-23: Annual Audit Report

According to the Indian National Congress (INC) Annual Audit Report filed with the Election Commission of India this week, the party spent Rs 467 crore during 2022-23 against its income of Rs 452 crore during the term. Congress spent 71.8 crore for its iconic “Bharat Jodo Yatra” led by Rahul Gandhi. The Yatra which started on September 2, 2022, from Tamil Nadu ended in Jammu and Kashmir on January 30, 2023. As per a report, the Bharat Jodo Yatra alone cost 15. 3% of the total annual spend.

However, the party received Rs 452 crore in 2022-23 against Rs 541 crore it got in 2021-22, noting a drop from the previous years. Notably, as per the report published by the election commission, the party’s expenditure rose to Rs 467 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 400 crore in 2021-22, marking a rise in the spending in 2022-23 compared to the previous term

As per the election commission of India (ECI)”s data in 2023, there are 8 national political parties in India and all of them are required to file their financial accounts with the ECI, along with the contributions, audited annual accounts and election expenditure.

According to a report, out of 8, 7 parties including the Congress, AAP, BSP, CPM and National People’s Party have made public their annual audit reports for the 2022-23 year. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) report is yet to be made public, Times of India reported.

As the Congress began its second phase of “Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra”, the grand old party on January 27 announced the launch of a crowdfunding campaign named ‘Donate for Nyaya.’ As the Congress received comparatively lower contributions and donations last year, the party expects to expand its financial capability with this campaign. People can now donate for every kilometre of the Yatra under the ‘Donate for Nyaya’ crowdfunding campaign.