Six national parties, namely the BJP, Congress, CPI-M, AAP, BSP and NPEP, declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore in 2024-25, and the saffron party accounted for 85.03 percent of it.
Key Points
- The BJP spent 55.76 percent of its income, amounting to Rs 3774.58 crore, while the Congress spent 1111.94 crore, which is 21.09 percent more than its total income.
- The Congress party's income decreased by 25.05 percent between 2023-24 and 2024-25, while the BJP's income increased by 55.95 percent in the same period.
- Donations and contributions formed a significant portion of the income for most national parties, with the BJP deriving over 90% of its income from this source.
- Election expenses and administrative costs were the most common expenditure items for national parties, with the BJP spending the most on election propaganda.
- The BSP reported 100% of its income from other sources with no donations, whereas INC received 56.86% from donations and 43.14% from other sources.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party declared an income of Rs 6769.14 crore in FY 2024-25, the highest among national parties, while the Congress was a distant second, declaring an income of around Rs 918.28 crore, said a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
According to the report analysing the declarations made by political parties to the Election Commission, six national parties (BJP, Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore in 2024-25, and the BJP accounted for 85.03 percent of it.
The BJP spent around 55.76 percent of its income, amounting to Rs 3774.58 crore, while the Congress spent around 1111.94 crore, which is 21.09 percent (Rs 193.66 crore) more than its total income.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) reported a total income of Rs 172.60 crore during the year, while its total expenditure amounted to Rs 173.86 crore, Rs 1.26 cr (0.73 percent) less than its income.
The BSP's total income was Rs 58.58 crore, while its expenditure for the year was Rs 106.30 crore. The party's expenditure for that year exceeded its total income by Rs 47.71 crore (81.45 percent).
AAP reported a total income of Rs 39.28 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 36.46 crore, meaning the party spent 92.83 percent of its total income.
The National People's Party (NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 2.18 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 1.19 crore, indicating the party spent 54.72 percent of its total income.
The six national parties have declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore, collected from all over India.
The Congress was second with an income of Rs 918.28 crore, which forms 11.53 percent of the total income of national parties, while the NPEP declared the least income of Rs 2.18 crore, which forms 0.02 percent of the total.
Income trends of national parties
Between 2023-24 and 2024-25, the BJP's income increased by 55.95 percent (Rs 2428.6768 crore), while the CPI(M) registered a marginal rise of 2.96 percent (Rs 4.96 crore).
During the same period, the income of the Congress declined by 25.05 percent (Rs 306.83 crore), and the BSP's income decreased by 9.56 percent (Rs 6.19 crore).
AAP's income witnessed a significant growth of 73.20 percent (Rs 16.60 crore).
In FY 2024-25, national parties declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore, of which 85.08 per cent (Rs 6772.53 crore) came from donations/contributions and 14.92 per cent (Rs 1187.56 crore) from other sources.
The BJP derived 90.48 per cent of its total income from donations amounting to Rs 6124.85 crore, while AAP received 99.85 per cent (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP received 97.74 per cent (Rs 2.14 crore) of their total income through contributions.
In contrast, the BSP reported 100 per cent of its income (Rs 58.58 crore) from other sources with no donations, whereas INC received 56.86 per cent (Rs 522.13 crore) from donations and 43.14 per cent (Rs 396.15 crore) from other sources, and CPI(M) received 48.77 per cent (Rs 84.17 crore) from donations and 51.23 per cent (Rs 88.42 crore) from other sources.
National parties that received the highest income from donations/contributions include the BJP (Rs 6124.85 crore), Congress (Rs 522.13 crore), CPI(M) (Rs 84.17 crore), AAP (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP (Rs 2.14 crore).
The collection from issuing coupons, Rs 350.12 crore declared by the Congress, formed 38.12 percent of its total income during 2024-25.
Expenditure patterns of political parties
The report said the most common and popular items of expenditure for national parties are the election expenses and administrative/general expenses.
The BJP spent Rs 3335.36 crore on election/general propaganda, followed by Rs 323.05 crore for administrative costs.
The Congress spent Rs 896.22 crore on election expenditure, followed by expenses towards administrative and general expenses of around Rs 159.68 crore.
CPI-M spent Rs 78.11 crore on administrative and general expenses followed by Rs 51.03 crore on Employee Cost.
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