BJP topped list with over Rs 2,600 crore in donations for 2023-24

New Delhi: BJP collected Rs 2,604.74 crore in donations in contributions of Rs 20,000 or above in 2023-24, which was nine times more than what Congress received in the fiscal that saw major Assembly elections and preparations for Lok Sabha polls.

While BJP’s collection through donations from individuals, corporates and electoral trusts were three times more than what it collected in 2022-23, Congress collected Rs 281.38 crore in 2023-24, which was three times more than its collection in the previous fiscal.

Both the parties received the highest donations from electoral trusts with Prudent Electoral Trust donating around Rs 724 crore to BJP and around Rs 156 crore to Congress. BJP also received around Rs 127 crore from Triumph Electoral Trust and around Rs 17 lakh from Einzigartig Electoral Trust.

Interestingly, an analysis of the donors of Congress showed that around 500 party leaders and sympathisers donated Rs 1.38 lakh each. The party had launched ‘Donate for Desh’ online crowdfunding campaign in December last year on the occasion of Congress completing 138 years, asking supporters to donate in multiples of Rs 138.

The contribution report of Congress showed party president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ashok Gehlot, Pawan Khera and others donating Rs 1.38 lakh each. Donations were also made to the Congress under the heading 'Happy Birthday to our leader -- JKB'.

While BSP submitted its contribution report saying that it has not received any donation of Rs 20,000 or above, BRS reported that it has received Rs 580 crore out of which Rs 495.52 crore was collected through electoral bonds.

The Election Commission does not mandate parties to disclose donations through electoral bonds in the contribution report while audit reports have to do so. Besides BRS, YSR Congress, DMK and JMM have also declared donations via electoral bonds in the contribution reports.

YSR Congress has collected a total of Rs 184 crore, which includes Rs 121.5 crore through electoral bonds. DMK has Rs 81.56 crore as donations, which includes Rs 60 crore through electoral bonds. JMM has got Rs 11.5 crore under electoral bonds while other contributions was a meagre Rs 62.15 lakh.

A number of DMK MPs have also contributed to the party coffers. DMK has also disclosed Rs 12.98 lakh it collected through contributions below Rs 2,000 and contributions of Rs 6.32 crore to building fund it received by cash.

CPI(M) has got Rs 7.64 crore in the last fiscal while JD(S) collected Rs 2.45 crore. JD(U) got Rs 1.81 crore, which included party MPs’ contribution of Rs 72,000 each.

Trinamool Congress declared receiving Rs 6.42 crore, which included several MPs donating Rs 1.2 lakh each.