In the 2021-22 financial year, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received donations of roughly Rs 614 crores which amounts to nearly 80 per cent of the total donations received by all national political parties, as per the latest report published by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The Indian National Congress (INC) stands far behind in second position, having received Rs 95 crore while the National Congress Party (NCP) comes in third with Rs 58 crore. The figures in the report match the data published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in November 2022. The ECI figures also revealed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received Rs 44.54 crores in the last financial year.
The ADR publishes an annual report analysing donations above Rs 20,000 received by national political parties to advocate for electoral reform and more transparency in the electoral and political funding system in the country. The report analyses the donation details submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for eight national parties, including the BJP, INC, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), and the National People’s Party (NPEP). Political funding is an extremely critical pillar of democracy, including in India, where the system relies heavily on elections, which come at a significant cost. Let’s take a look at the donation patterns to political parties in the last financial year, their sources, and the overall system of political donations in the country.