EC: Check income of delisted parties

of the total donations received by the parties in 2014-15 and 2015-16 shows that it saw a decrease of 84 per cent or `528.67 crore.

Donations to the BJP decreased from `437.35 crores during financial year 2014-15 to `76.85 crores during 2015-16 (a decrease of 82 per cent), the report stated.

“It is to be noted that BJP’s donations had increased by 156 per cent between 2013-14 and 201415 while that of INC had increased by 137 per cent during the same period,” the report notes.

The report also notes a decline in cash donations declared by the parties in 2015-16, which it attributes to a 2014 ECI notification that had done away with the provision of tax deduction on cash support. — PTI New Delhi, Dec. 21: The Election Commission is set to write to the Income Tax authorities asking it to look into the finances of over 200 political parties it has ‘delisted’ over a period of time for not contesting elections.

The Commission has, over a period of time, identified various parties which have not contested polls since 2005 and has ‘delisted’ over 200 of them.

The poll panel believes that most of them exist on papers to help people convert their back money into white by accepting donations. In the next few days, the Commission will send the list of the delisted parties to the Income Tax authorities seeking action against relevant laws if they are found to be involved in money laundering.

While the poll watchdog has the mandate to register a political party, it lacks power to deregister any party.

As its demand to get power to deregister a party is pending, the Commission used its powers to delist parties for being dormant and not contesting elections for a long time. — PTI