BJP declares income of Rs 1,027.34 cr in 2017-18, spends 74 pc

The BJP has declared a total income of Rs 1,027.34 crore during financial year 2017-18 and spent 74 per cent (Rs 758.47 cr) of it, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The ADR said the Congress was yet to file its audit report for the year.

The BSP's total income during year 2017-18 was Rs 51.7 cr of which the party spent only 29 per cent (Rs 14.78 cr), the report said.

The NCP was the only party to have spent more than its total income of Rs 8.15 crore. The party spent Rs 8.84 crore, the report said.

Between 2016-17 and 2017-18, the income of BJP decreased from Rs 1,034.27 crore during 2016-17 to Rs 1027.34 crore during 2017-18.

Six national parties collected 86.91 pc (Rs 1,041.80 crore) of their total income from voluntary contributions for 2017-18.

During 2017-18, out of the 6 national parties, only BJP declared receiving an income of Rs 210 crore from contribution through electoral bonds.

The Communist Party of India (Marxists) alleged that the electoral bonds have become new 'tax havens' as commissions to be given to political parties are now being paid through these instruments and this was the case in the Rafale deal.

"You will not find any more money trails, trail lies in the fact whatever has to be given as commission, it is given through the electoral bonds", Yechury alleged, while claiming this was the reason why the BJP leaders were repeatedly asking where was the money trail if there was any scam in the Rafale deal.

Yechury alleged it was clear that the BJP and the Modi government were facilitating crony capitalism and corporate funding for electoral benefit.

Only the political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and which secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State, are eligible to receive the electoral bonds.

The electoral bonds can be encashed by an eligible political party only through a bank account.

The ADR said it analysed total income and expenditure of national parties during 2017-18, as declared by the parties in their IT Returns submitted to the ECI.

The six national parties are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).

The due date for submission of annual audited accounts for the parties was October 30.

AITC, CPM and BSP submitted their audit reports on time while CPI submitted after one day, NCP submitted after 20 days and BJP, 24 days after the due date for submission.

As on December 17, the INC has not yet submitted its audited reports to the ECI, more than 48 days after the due date for submission, the report said.