BJP got 57% of the amount donated through electoral bonds, Congress a measly 10%
As per declarations by political parties to the Election Commission of India (ECI), in the first five years of the electoral bonds scheme, that is, from 2017 to 2022, 57 per cent, or more than half of the funds deposited through the bonds went to the BJP. The Congress came a distant second, at around 10 per cent.
In absolute amounts, the numbers are Rs 5,271.97 crore and Rs 952.29 crore, respectively.
The ECI is yet to publish the annual reports of parties for the financial year 2022-2023.
According to State Bank of India data obtained by The Indian Express through RTI, in the first five financial years (i.e., 2017-2018 and 2021-2022), electoral bonds worth Rs 9,208.23 crore were sold.
Among the regional parties (it has ceased to be a national party, as per ECI rules), Trinamool Congress, which has been in power in Bengal since 2011, was the biggest recipient, declaring contributions worth Rs 767.88 crore. This was also the third biggest amount after the BJP and the Congress.
The others to receive three-figure contributions from FY18 to FY22 were BJD (in government in Odisha), with Rs 622 crore and DMK (in government in Tamil Nadu), with Rs 622 crore.
A five-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on October 31 began hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the validity of the electoral bonds scheme for funding political parties, including those filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur, the CPI(M) and the NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms.
