EC report: At ₹615cr, BJP got most contributions

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received ₹615.53 crore and the Congress received ₹95.46 crore as contributions during the fiscal year 2021-22, according to reports submitted by the two parties to the Election Commission.

While the Trinamool Congress, which is in power in West Bengal, received ₹43 lakh as contribution, the CPI(M), which is in government in Kerala, received ₹10.05 crore during the concerned period.

The Representation of the People Act stipulates that parties submit an annual report of contributions of over ₹20,000 received from individual donors and entities. Besides individuals and entities, electoral trusts also contribute to parties’ kitty.

The reports submitted by the political parties were made public on Tuesday and are available on the ECI website.

The Aam Aadmi Party, received contributions worth ₹38.24 crore. While the Nationalist Congress Party received ₹57.90 crore, the National People’s Party received over ₹35 lakh during the period, according to the report.

The report said that Prudent Electoral Trust was the largest contributor to BJP. It alone donated ₹336.5 crore to the party. Electoral trusts are non-profit organisations that collect and disburse funds to political parties. They were first notified during the second United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2013.

In 2020-21, the BJP had secured contributions worth ₹477.55 crore. A recent report released by the Association of Democratic Reforms said the party received maximum corporate donations worth ₹163.54 crore over the past five years. The Prudent Electoral Trust, meanwhile, also made donations to the Congress, AAP, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Samajwadi Party, the reports said.