How much do candidates spend in elections?

Every election in India looks like a scoreboard — vote share, turnout, seat count. But there’s one number you rarely see: the real cost of fighting elections.

While the official spending cap is Rs 40 lakh per candidate, ground reports suggest that serious candidates often spend up to Rs 20–30 crore per constituency. So where does this money come from? And how is it actually used? In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down the hidden economy of Indian elections, from cash distribution and booth operations to funding networks and voter targeting.

Elections are not just about who wins, but about the questions that often go unasked – and this time, they matter more than ever. Support our new NL Sena on the five upcoming assembly polls to help us follow the missing voters, the shifting politics, and the stories that could shape India’s future.