SP, DMK biggest earners, spenders among 37 regional parties in FY18: Report

15 of 37 parties covered had expenditures that overshot their total income; five by more than 25 per cent

Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) had the highest expenditure at Rs 34.54 crore out of the 37 regional political parties that have submitted their audited Income Tax Returns (ITR) reports to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for financial year 2017-18 (FY18), revealed a report.   

The SP was followed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which spent Rs 27.47 crore, and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with Rs 16.73 crore, said the study by the Association for Democratic Reforms. (See table 1) 

The SP also reported that it accrued the highest income at Rs 47.19 crore, which accounted for almost a