BJP has highest income share among national parties with 74.57%: ADR report

Six national parties - BJP, INC, CPI(M), AAP, BSP and NPEP - have declared a total income of Rs 5,820.912 crore, according to ADR report

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was found to have the highest income among national parties in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24), declaring total earnings of Rs 4,340.47 crore, according to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) released on Monday. This accounted for 74.57 per cent of the total income of six national parties during the period.

 

Despite its high earnings, the BJP spent only 50.96 per cent of its income, amounting to Rs 2,211.69 crore. The Congress, which recorded the second-highest income of Rs 1,225.12 crore, spent Rs 1,025.25 crore (83.69 per cent) of its earnings during the same period.

 

 

Income of national parties

Other national parties, such as the National People’s Party (NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 22.44 lakh and spent Rs 1.139 crore, exceeding its income by 407.58 per cent. Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) declared a total income of Rs 167.636 crore and spent Rs 127.283 crore, which accounted for 75.93 per cent of its income.

 

The total income of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) came to Rs 64.7798 crore, while its expenditure for the year was Rs 43.189 crore, which is 66.67 per cent of its total income in FY24. Overall, the six national parties (BJP, INC, CPI(M), AAP, BSP and NPEP) have declared a total income of Rs 5,820.912 crore, collected from all over India.

 

Electoral bonds: Key revenue source

A significant portion of the national parties’ income came from donations through electoral bonds. The BJP received the highest amount at Rs 1,685.63 crore, followed by the Congress with Rs 828.36 crore and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with Rs 10.15 crore.

 

Collectively, these three parties raised Rs 2,524.14 crore, which amounts to 43.36 per cent of their total income, through electoral bonds.

 

These figures come after the Supreme Court struck down the electoral bond scheme as “unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary” in May last year. According to data obtained through an RTI request, political parties redeemed electoral bonds worth Rs 4,507.56 crore in FY24, with national parties accounting for 55.99 per cent (Rs 2,524.14 crore) of this amount.

 

Breakdown of expenses

The report highlighted that Congress spent Rs 619.67 crore on election-related expenses, making it the party’s largest expenditure. It also spent Rs 340.70 crore on administrative and general expenses. In comparison, the CPI-M allocated Rs 56.29 crore to administrative expenses and Rs 47.57 crore to employee costs.

 

Among national parties, six declared receiving a total of Rs 2,669.87 crore from donations and contributions. Additionally, Congress (Rs 58.56 crore) and CPI(M) (Rs 11.32 crore) disclosed earning Rs 69.88 crore from the sale of coupons.

 

Delayed audit reports

The ADR report also noted delays in the submission of audit reports. The BJP, Congress, and CPI(M) submitted their reports late, with delays ranging from 12 to 66 days. Meanwhile, AAP alongside BSP and NPEP submitted their reports on time, before the deadline set for October 31, 2024.