Election fund: CPM collected Rs 58.86 crores

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As per the election expenditure submitted to the Central Election Commission, the CPM had collected an election fund of Rs 58.86 crore during the last assembly election. While Congress collected Rs 39.96 crore, BJP got Rs 8.63 crore as election fund. Among the candidates, the highest amount (55 lakhs) was spent on the election works of BJP state president K Surendran, who contested from Manjeshwaram and Konni. Rs 40 lakhs was spent in Konni alone. Congress MLA Shafi Parambil came second with Rs 23 lakhs. Rs 22 lakh each were spent on the election works of Minister PA Mohammed Riyas and KK Ramachandran. The BJP spent Rs 2.75 crore on air travel by helicopter and other means for its election tour. CPM also came first in spending the highest amount for election campaigns. It did not spend much on the national leaders who came to the state for election campaigns.

Leaders' campaign expenditure in Kerala

43 lakhs- Prime Minister Narendra Modi

2.5 crore- Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi

Expenditure on campaign works

17 crore- CPM

16 crore- Congress

7 crore- BJP