Report says BJP receives maximum funding from corporate donors

Corporates contributed Rs 956.77 crore to national parties between 2012-13 and 2015-16 with BJP topping the list with Rs 705.81 crore.
 
Congress came a distant second receiving Rs 198.16 crore from 167 corporate donors during the period, according to data released by private election watchdog Association for Democratic Rights (ADR). The BJP's donations came from 2,987 corporate donors.
 
NCP received Rs 50.73 crore followed by CPI(M) at Rs 1.98 crore and CPI Rs 18 lakh. BSP claimed that it received no voluntary contributions above Rs 20,000 from any donor during this period.
 
"Between 2012-13 and 2015-16, five national parties received a total of Rs 1,070.68 crore via voluntary contributions above Rs 20,000 out of which 89 per cent of Rs 956.77 crore was from corporates/business houses," ADR said.
 
The voluntary contributions above Rs 20,000 for BJP and Congress from corporate houses are 92% and 85% respectively. CPI and CPM have the lowest share of corporate donations at 4% and 17% respectively.
 
The national parties received the maximum corporate donations in the 2014-15, during which Lok Sabha elections were held. Corporate donations during this fiscal alone forms 60% of the total corporate donations received between four fiscals.
 
Donations from corporates to National Parties reduced by 86.58% between FY 2014-15 and 2015-16, the ADR study said.
 
Despite not donating during 2012-13, Satya Electoral Trust was the top donor to three of national parties during this period. It donated a total of 35 number of times in three years, amounting to Rs 260.87 crore. BJP declared receiving Rs 193.62 crore while Congress was the recipient of Rs 57.25 crore of funds from the trust. NCP received Rs 10 crore from Satya Electoral Trust during the same period.