New Delhi: On Sunday, the Electoral Commission of India released fresh insights concerning electoral bonds procured by individuals and redeemed by political factions. These disclosures encompass electoral bond specifics submitted to ECI by political entities in sealed envelopes.
The factions had submitted the electoral bond data under sealed coverings as per the interim decree of the Supreme Court dated April 12, 2019, affirmed the poll commission in a declaration.
“The data furnished by political entities was consigned to the Supreme Court without breaking the sealed enclosures. Following the Supreme Court’s directive dated March 15, 2024, the Supreme Court Registry has sent back physical copies along with a digitized dossier of the same in a sealed enclosure. The Electoral Commission of India has today uploaded the digitized data obtained from the Supreme Court registry regarding electoral bonds on its official portal,” stated the EC.
The most recent data comprises financial specifics of all political groups, encompassing national, state, and unrecognized political entities. BJP, in its response to the Election Expenditure Division on November 15, 2023, submitted a statement spanning 20 pages in a sealed envelope, delineating the particulars of electoral bonds received by the saffron faction from 2017-18 until 2023-24 (September 2023). BJP encashed electoral bonds amounting to Rs 6,987.40 crore, with the highest sum of Rs 2,555 crore received in 2019-20.
Trinamool Congress accrued Rs 1,397 crore through electoral bonds, standing as the second-largest beneficiary subsequent to BJP. Congress redeemed a total of Rs 1,334.35 crore through electoral bonds. BRS emerged as the fourth-largest recipient, cashing in bonds worth Rs 1,322 crore. BJD encashed electoral bonds totaling Rs 944.5 crore, while YSR Congress procured Rs 442.8 crore, and TDP Rs 181.35 crore.
Samajwadi Party secured Rs 14.05 crore through electoral bonds, Akali Dal Rs 7.26 crore, AIADMK Rs 6.05 crore, and National Conference Rs 50 lakh. JD(S) obtained bonds worth Rs 89.75 crore, inclusive of Rs 50 crore from Megha Engineering, the second-largest procurer of electoral bonds.
Future Gaming, helmed by lottery tycoon Santiago Martin, emerged as the foremost buyer of electoral bonds, amounting to Rs 1,368 crore, of which almost 37 percent were allocated to the DMK. Other noteworthy contributors to the DMK included Megha Engineering with Rs 105 crore, India Cements with Rs 14 crore, and Sun TV with Rs 100 crore. TMC received Rs 1,397 crore through electoral bonds, positioning as the second-largest beneficiary after BJP.
The DMK was among the select few political factions to divulge the identities of donors, while prominent factions such as BJP, Congress, TMC, and AAP refrained from disclosing these particulars to the Election Commission, which has now made these filings public in accordance with a Supreme Court decree.
The CPI(M) has announced its abstention from receiving funds through electoral bonds, whereas submissions made by the AIMIM and BSP indicated nil receipts.