Delhi Emerges as Top Contributor in National Party Donations for FY 2024-25
Data on state-wise donations to national parties for the financial year 2024-25 has placed the national capital, Delhi, at the forefront. According to a recent analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a total of Rs 2,639.4 crore was donated to national parties from Delhi, significantly outpacing other states. This figure underscores Delhi's pivotal role in political funding during the fiscal year.
Top States in Political Donations
Following Delhi, Maharashtra secured the second position with donations amounting to Rs 2,438.8 crore, while Gujarat contributed Rs 309.1 crore. The top five states in terms of state-wise donations include West Bengal, where donations to national parties stood at Rs 254.1 crore, and Karnataka with Rs 220.4 crore. Collectively, the other 28 states and union territories made donations totaling Rs 778.8 crore, highlighting a concentrated flow of funds from key regions.
Report Methodology and Key Findings
This analysis is part of a new report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms on Thursday. The segregation of donations according to state was based on the addresses provided by the parties in their donations report to the Election Commission of India. The ADR report focuses exclusively on donations above Rs 20,000, received by national political parties during the financial year 2024-25, as per details submitted by the parties to the EC.
The national parties covered in this report include the BJP, Congress, BSP, CPI(M), AAP, and National People’s Party (NPEP). The total donations declared by these national parties for FY 2024-25 amounted to Rs 6,648.5 crore from 11,343 donations, marking a substantial increase in political funding.
Party-Wise Breakdown of Donations
The report reveals that the BJP declared the highest amount, with Rs 6,074 crore from 5,522 donations. In comparison, Congress declared Rs 517.3 crore from 2,501 donations. Notably, the donations declared by BJP are more than ten times the aggregate declared by INC, AAP, CPI(M), and NPEP for the same period, emphasizing the party's dominant position in fundraising.
Meanwhile, the BSP declared that it did not receive any donations above Rs 20,000 during FY 2024-25, a stance it has maintained for the past 19 years. Additionally, the analysis shows that AAP received Rs 55,000 from three donations originating from the United States, indicating some international contributions.
Significant Increase in Donations and Donor Categories
The ADR analysis highlights a dramatic surge in total donations to national parties during FY 2024-25, which increased by Rs 4,104.2 crore, representing a 161% rise from the previous financial year 2023-24. This growth points to heightened political engagement and funding activities.
In terms of donor categories, 3,244 donations were made by corporate and business sectors, amounting to Rs 6,128.7 crores, which accounts for 92.18% of total donations. On the other hand, 7,900 individual donors contributed Rs 505.6 crores, making up 7.61% of total donations. A small portion, slightly over Rs 7.6 crore (0.115% of total donations), could not be attributed to any state or union territory due to incomplete or undeclared information provided by the parties.
Recommendations for Transparency
The report concludes with key recommendations to enhance transparency in political funding. It suggests that all donors who have donated a minimum of Rs 20,000 as a single or multiple donations should provide their PAN details. Furthermore, it recommends that incomplete contributions reports with missing or incorrect PAN or mode of payment details must be returned to the parties by the Election Commission of India to deter them from providing incomplete information. These measures aim to strengthen accountability and ensure more accurate reporting in the future.
