BJP tops list of national parties with over Rs 2,243 crore in donations in FY 2023-24: ADR

The declared donations to BJP increased from Rs 719.858 crore in FY 2022-23 to Rs 2,243.94 crore in FY 2023-24, which is a rise of 211.72 per cent, ADR report revealed. Representational pic

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received the highest amount in large donations among national parties during the financial year (FY) 2023-24, with over Rs 2,243 crore declared from 8,358 donations, a report by the poll rights body, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), revealed.

The report, based on data submitted to the Election Commission, highlighted trends in political donations above Rs 20,000, news agency PTI reported. The total declared donations to national parties amounted to Rs 2,544.28 crore from 12,547 donations, marking a sharp 199 per cent increase compared to the previous FY. BJP's declared donations alone accounted for 88 per cent of the total amount.

The Congress followed as a distant second, with Rs 281.48 crore from 1,994 donations. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the National People's Party (NPEP) reported smaller amounts, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) once again declared zero donations above the Rs 20,000 threshold, maintaining this pattern for the past 18 years.

According to PTI, the declared donations to BJP increased from Rs 719.858 crore in FY 2022-23 to Rs 2,243.94 crore in FY 2023-24, which is a rise of 211.72 per cent. Similarly, the Congress' donations grew from Rs 79.924 crore to Rs 281.48 crore, reflecting a 252.18 per cent increase. Over the same period, donations to AAP fell by 70.18 per cent, or Rs 26.038 crore, while NPEP donations decreased by 98.02 per cent, or Rs 7.331 crore, the report revealed.

Despite the Election Commission of India's deadline of September 30, 2024, only BSP and AAP submitted their contribution reports on time. BJP submitted its report 42 days late, followed by CPI(M), INC, and NPEP, whose reports were submitted after a 43, 27, and 23-day delay, respectively.

The report revealed that 3,755 donations to national parties came from the corporate/business sector, amounting to Rs 2,262.55 crore (88.92 per cent of total donations), while 8,493 individual donors contributed Rs 270.872 crore (10.64 per cent of total donations) in FY 2023-24.

Of these, 3,478 donations were made to BJP, totalling Rs 2,064.58 crore, reported PTI. The party received Rs 169.126 crore from 4,628 individual donors.

'Congress received Rs 190.32 crore from business sector, Rs 90.89 crore from individual donors'

"The Congress received a total of Rs 190.3263 crore via 102 donations from corporate/business sectors and Rs 90.899 crore from 1,882 individual donors during FY 2023-24," the report stated.

ADR noted that BJP, with Rs 2,064.58 crore, received more than nine times the total amount (Rs 197.97 crore) of all corporate donations declared by other national parties in FY 2023-24.

Prudent Electoral Trust was the top donor, contributing a total of Rs 880 crore to BJP and Congress combined. The Trust donated Rs 723.675 crore to BJP (32.25 per cent of the party's total funds) and Rs 156.4025 crore to Congress (55.56 per cent of Congress's total funds). Triumph Electoral Trust donated Rs 127.50 crore to BJP in four donations, while Derive Investments gave Rs 50 crore to BJP and Rs 3.20 crore to Congress.

Acme Solar Energy Pvt Ltd donated Rs 51 crore through five donations, Bharat Biotech International Limited donated Rs 50 crore in a single donation, Rungta Sons Private Limited donated Rs 50 crore in one donation, and Dinesh Chandra R Agarwal Infracon Pvt Ltd donated Rs 30 crore in a single donation to BJP in FY 2023-24, the report added.

ADR pointed out that while Prudent Electoral Trust's report indicated 31 donations worth Rs 723.78 crore to BJP, the party's own report declared receiving 30 donations worth Rs 723.675 crore. Similarly, the Jaybharath Electoral Trust reported donating Rs 5 crore to BJP, but this contribution was not mentioned in the party's contribution report for the same financial year, according to ADR.

The poll rights body recommended stricter enforcement of disclosure norms, including the rejection of incomplete reports and mandatory PAN details for all donations above Rs 20,000. It also called for annual scrutiny of party donation reports by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and for making donor details publicly accessible under the Right to Information Act. ADR also urged the Election Commission to publish information on actions taken against parties that fail to meet disclosure standards and advocated for the creation of an online platform to track report submissions and transparency.

(With PTI inputs)