ADR Analysis: BJP MLAs Top Election Spending in Bihar Polls 2025

Brief By Newsbrief / 5:14 PM on 03 Feb 2026

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has released an analysis of election expenditure declared by winning candidates in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, offering key insights into campaign spending trends. Of the 243 MLAs elected, expenditure details of 240 legislators were examined. The permissible spending limit per candidate was ₹40 lakh.

According to the report, the average expenditure declared by MLAs stood at ₹24.33 lakh, which is about 61 percent of the prescribed limit. Notably, BJP legislators recorded the highest average spending at ₹27.36 lakh, amounting to 68.4 percent of the cap. JD(U) MLAs followed with an average expenditure of ₹25.53 lakh, or 63.8 percent of the limit.

In contrast, RJD MLAs reported a significantly lower average spend of ₹19.57 lakh, while Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MLAs declared an average of ₹19.60 lakh. ADR also highlighted that 42 percent of MLAs declared expenses far below the permitted ceiling, raising questions about transparency and actual campaign costs.

Read more on Newsbrief