Political funding declines 84% but there is small uptick in cash donations

In 2015-16, political parties received 84% less in donations compared with 2014-15. However, despite an Election Commission notification of August 29, 2014, disallowing tax benefits on cash donations to political parties, the cash contribution increased from 0.14 per cent in FY15 to 1.42 per cent in FY16. The Nationalist Congress Party declared the highest decrease (98 per cent) in donations, whereas the Bahujan Samaj Party maintained its record of the past 10 years by declaring that it doesn’t receive funding above Rs 20,000 in donations. According to the Election Commission guidelines, all political parties have to declare donations above Rs 20,000 to it in an affidavit. 

DONATIONS ABOVE RS 20,000 RECEIVED BY POLITICAL PARTIES

SECTOR-WISE DONATIONS DECLARED BY NATIONAL PARTIES
From corporate/business houses (in Rs crore)



From individuals (in Rs crore)



TOP 5 STATES BY THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO NATIONAL PARTIES



Top donor to national parties

Party Name	Donor	Contribution (in Rs cr)	Share of total contribution (%)
BJP	Satya Electoral Trust	4.5	58.56
BJP	Manish Laxman Sarda	4	5.2
INC	Haryana Congress Bhagwan Trust	2	9.79
INC	Satya Electoral Trust	2	9.79
CPM	Nasib Kaur Bains	0.21	11.6
CPM	CP Narayanan	0.096	5.3
CPI	Secretary, Kerala State Council, CPI	0.368	23.29
CPI	S Sudhakar Reddy, General Secretary, CPI	0.11	6.96
NCP	Vedicon Industries Ltd	0.25	35.21
NCP	Vijay Sopam Machindra	0.25	35.21
AITC	Subhendu Adhikari	0.15	23.08
AITC	Dilip Damle	0.1	15.38