Lion's share: BJP is overwhelming favourite among donors, says report

Total number of corporate donors to the BJP was more than 11 times that of other national parties

It's the winner takes it all, when it comes to corporate donations to political parties. After capturing power at the Centre in 2014 and adding large and politically significant states to its fold since then, the Bharatiya Janata Party is the overwhelming favourite among donors. 

Between FY13 and FY16, a total of 3,256 corporate donors contributed Rs 956.77 crore to national parties, according to the contributions reports of these parties analysed by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR). The total number of corporate donors to the BJP (2,987 donors) was more than 11 times that of other national parties combined (269 donors). 

The BJP got almost three times the total corporate donations received by the rest of other four national parties combined. While 45 per cent of these donations came through electoral trusts, for which a sectoral break-up is not available, among the direct donations, manufacturing and real estate accounted for over a fifth each. Here is a snapshot of sectors and individual companies that led the list of the benevolent.