Electoral Bonds: How much money did the BJP receive? What about the Congress?

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it would investigate details of donations to political parties made through the electoral bond route. A bench consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra asked the Election Commission to prepare the details of political party funding through electoral bonds for its review during the hearing on a number of petitions contesting the legitimacy of anonymous funding of political parties through a finance bill introduced in 2017. According to ADR data, between 2016-17 and 2021-22, the last year for which the data is available, seven national parties and 24 regional parties received a total donation of Rs 9,188.35 crore through electoral bonds. Of this, the BJP alone accounted for over 57 per cent as against 10 per cent for the Congress. Here’s a breakdown of which parties received how much money via electoral bonds. Political parties and their share in electoral bond funds BJP**:** More than half (57 per cent) of the funds given through bonds have gone to the BJP in the five years since the electoral bond scheme was created. According to its disclosures to the Election Commission, the party got Rs 5,271.97 crore in bonds between 2017 and 2022. In the fiscal year ending March 2022, the BJP received Rs 1,033 crore in electoral bonds, Rs 22.38 crore in 2021, Rs 2,555 crore in 2020, and Rs 1,450 crore in 2019. The party also declared Rs 210 crore in receipts for the fiscal year 2018, as per a NDTV report. [caption id=“attachment_13326302” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Electoral bonds generated donations of approximately Rs 9,188 crore for all political parties combined until 2021-22, with the BJP accounting for more over 57 per cent of this total. PTI[/caption] Congress: The Congress received Rs 952 crore, or 10 per cent of all total electoral bonds sold till 2022. The Congress got Rs 253 crore from electoral bonds in the fiscal year 2022, Rs 10 crore in 2021, Rs 317 crore in 2020, and Rs 383 crore in 2019. TMC: The Trinamool Congress, which has been in power in West Bengal since 2011, has declared contributions totalling Rs 767.88 crore throughout the years, placing it third after the BJP and the Congress. In the fiscal year ending March 2022, according to NDTV, the Trinamool Congress received Rs 528 crore, Rs 42 crore in 2021, Rs 100 crore in 2020, and Rs 97 crore in 2019. **Also Read: Supreme Court to hear electoral bonds case: Why have they created such a row?** Biju Janata Dal: In Odisha, the ruling Biju Janata Dal declared Rs 622 crore in electoral bonds between 2018-2019 and 2021-2022; the party that has dominated the state since 2000 did not receive any donations via electoral bonds in the scheme’s initial year, as per an Indian Express report. DMK: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has been in power in Tamil Nadu since 2021, declared donations of Rs 431.50 crore across three years, from 2019-2020 to 2021-2022. According to Indian Express, no electoral bond contributions were reported in the preceding two fiscal years by the party. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): The Aam Aadmi Party has declared collecting Rs 48.83 crore in “electoral bond/electoral trust” contributions throughout the years, reports Indian Express. However, there is no indication of how much of that sum is derived solely from bonds. [caption id=“attachment_13326322” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Aam Aadmi Party stated that it has received Rs 48.83 crore in “electoral bond / electoral trust” funds. File image/PTI[/caption] JDU: The JD(U), which has been in power in Bihar, declared a total of Rs 24.40 crore in electoral bonds from 2019-2020 to 2021-2022. NCP: The NCP earned the most contribution via electoral bonds among non-ruling parties, at Rs 51.5 crore. Increase in electoral bond donations According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), national parties experienced a significant surge in electoral bond donations, witnessing a 743 per cent increase between FY 2017-18 and FY 2021-22. **Also Read: Why electoral bond scheme needs a Supreme Court verdict before 2024 polls** In contrast, corporate donations to national parties increased by only 48 per cent during the same period, it had said. State parties also received a substantial proportion of their donations through electoral bonds. The electoral bonds scheme was introduced in 2017 by way of a Finance Bill and was implemented in 2018. It serves as a means for individuals and entities to make donations to registered political parties while maintaining donor anonymity. The State Bank of India (SBI) issues the bonds in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 1 crore. In July this year, the ADR had said that more than half of all donations received by political parties between 2016-17 and 2021-22 were through electoral bonds and the BJP received more funds than all other national parties put together. It said donations worth around Rs 16,437 crore were received by the seven national parties and 24 state parties between 2016-17 and 2021-22. Of this, Rs 9,188.35 crore — around 56 per cent — were received through electoral bonds. With inputs from PTI