The Bharatiya Janata Party has spent over Rs 39 crore on 81,874 political advertisements on Google since January 1, data from Google’s Ads Transparency Center showed.
This accounts for 32.8% of the total funds spent on political advertisements on Google in India this year. The BJP was followed by the Central Bureau of Communication, the government’s nodal advertising agency, which spent over Rs 32 crore on political advertisements this year.
The Congress spent Rs 9 crore on 736 advertisements on Google in the same period. Populus Empowerment Private Limited, a strategy company working for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, spent Rs 10.2 crore.
Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited, the holding company of political strategy firm Indian Political Action Committee, has spent Rs 7.25 crore, the data showed. The company works for the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh, according to the Economic Times.
The Biju Janata Dal has spent Rs 2.4 crore on 144 advertisements since January 1.
Most of the BJP’s spending on Google advertisements took place between February and March. The Congress, on the other hand, spent most of its money on advertisements in April.
The BJP spent the most money in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar, while the Congress spent the bulk of its own in Maharashtra, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
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