Electoral bonds: BJP received more funds than the next 6 parties combined

The ruling party received Rs 6,060 crore in electoral bonds, constituting 47% of the total donations, followed by TMC Rs 1,609.50 crore (12.6%) and Congress Rs 1,421.9 crore (11.1%)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the frontrunner in the encashment of electoral bonds, securing a staggering Rs 6,060.5 crore between April 12, 2019, and January 24, 2024. This figure represents over 47.5 per cent of the total bonds encashed during the period.

Following closely behind, the All India Trinamool Congress received Rs 1,609.50 crore (12.6 per cent) via electoral bonds, while the Congress secured Rs 1,421.9 crore (11.1 per cent), solidifying their positions as the second and third biggest beneficiaries of this funding scheme, that was struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

Notably, Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR, owned by lottery tycoon Santiago Martin, emerged as the single largest donor to political parties during the aforementioned period. The firm donated Rs 1,368 crore through electoral bonds, according to data released by the State Bank of India (SBI) and published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 14.

Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited, headquartered in Hyderabad, secured the second spot on the list of top donors, having contributed Rs 1,200 crore in combination with three associated companies. Other prominent donors included Qwik Supply Chain Private Limited (Rs 410 crore), Haldia Energy Limited (Rs 377 crore), Vedanta Limited (Rs 375.65 crore), and Essel Mining and Industries Limited (Rs 224.45 crore), among others.

In total, more than 22 entities donated over Rs 100 crore each during this period, with electoral bonds worth over Rs 12,155 crore being purchased and over Rs 12,769 crore being encashed by political parties.

This significant data has been made public by the ECI following the disclosure of information by SBI on March 12. The Supreme Court's directive mandated the ECI to host this information on its website by March 15.

On Friday, the Supreme Court further directed the SBI to share the unique electoral bond numbers that would allow the linking of donors to their respective political contributions. The SBI is required to hand in this information to the ECI by 5 pm on Saturday.