A new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reveals a significant increase in donations to national parties in India, with the BJP receiving the overwhelming majority, surpassing the combined total of all other national parties by more than tenfold.
Electoral trust is a non-profit organisation formed in India for orderly receiving of contributions from corporate entities and individuals to political parties.
During 2023-24, while the BJP received over Rs 723 crore worth of donations from Prudent Electoral Trust, it also got over Rs 127 crore from Triumph Electoral Trust and over Rs 17 lakh from Einzigartig Electoral Trust.
The BJP received the highest amount in large donations among national parties in the financial year 2023-24, with over Rs 2,243 crore declared from 8,358 donations, according to a report by poll rights body the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The report, based on data submitted to the Election Commission, highlighted trends in political donations above Rs 20,000. The total declared donations to national parties stood at Rs 2,544.28 crore from 12,547 contributions - a sharp 199 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Donations received in form of electoral bonds were not included in the filing.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party received over Rs 785 crore in contributions from individuals, electoral trusts and corporates in 2019-20, which is over five times more than what the Congress received during the same period.
Donations from corporates to the national parties increased by 109 per cent between FY 2017-18 and 2018-19, said an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO working for bringing in transparency in electoral politics.
The former party donated Rs 54,000 between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020.
The Bahujan Samaj Party declared that it did not receive any donation above Rs 20,000 during 2021-22 as it has been declaring for the past 16 years, the ADR claimed.
BJP received chunk of the funds at Rs 437.04 crore, while Congress got Rs 26.65 crore.
The ruling party received Rs 742 crore in 2018-19, a rise of 70 per cent from the previous year.
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