The Bharatiya Janata Party received over 70.6% of the total donations made by electoral trusts in the financial year 2022-’23, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms showed.
The electoral trusts scheme was introduced in 2013 by the United Progressive Alliance government to facilitate donations to political parties by corporate groups and individuals. Unlike electoral bonds that are anonymous, the electoral trusts are required to declare their donation reports to the Election Commission every year.
Thirteen out of the 18 electoral trusts, registered with the Central Board of Direct Taxes, submitted their contribution details for the financial year 2022-’23 to the polling body. Of these, only five trusts declared having received contributions during that period.
The five electoral trusts are: Prudent Electoral Trust, Samaj Electoral Trust Association, Paribartan Electoral Trust, Triumph Electoral Trust and Einzigartig Electoral Trust.
Electoral trusts are required to distribute at least 95% of the total contributions they receive during a financial year.
Analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms, an election watchdog, showed that these five electoral trusts received Rs 366.495 crore as contributions in 2022-’23. The five trusts then donated Rs 366.48 crore to various political parties.
The BJP received Rs 259.08 crore out of the total amount donated by the five electoral trusts in 2022-’23.
The Prudent Electoral Trust donated Rs 256.25 crore to the BJP during this period. The Samaj Electoral Trust Association donated Rs 1.5 crore to the Hindutva party and Rs 50 lakh to the Congress.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi, which held power in Telangana until December, received Rs 90 crore or 24.56% of the total donations. Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress together received a total of Rs 17.4 crore.
The top 10 corporate donors contributed Rs 332.26 crore to electoral trusts. That comprises 90.66% of the total donations the trusts received in 2022-’23.
Megha Engineering and Infrastructures made the biggest corporate donation of Rs 87 crore to the Prudent Electoral Trust, followed by the Serum Institute of India that donated Rs 50.25 crore. ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel and Abhinand Ventures donated Rs 50 crore each, the data compiled by the Association for Democratic Reforms showed.
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