Electoral Bonds : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday uploaded on its website the data on funds received by various political parties, including the BJP, Congress, AIADMK, DMK, and Mamata Banerjee’s TMC via the electoral bond scheme.
The fresh data provides information on the donations received by the political parties through electoral bonds before April 12, 2019. It includes funding details of all political parties including national, state, and unrecognized political parties.
The BJP received the maximum funds through electoral bonds at Rs 6,986.5 cr since they were introduced in 2018, followed by Trinamool Congress (Rs 1,397 crore), Congress (Rs 1,334 crore) and BRS (Rs 1,322 crore).
The press note released by the ECI reads, In compliance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directions, contained in its order dated Feb 15 and March 11, 2024 (in the matter of WP NO.880 of 2017), the ECI has already uploaded data on Electoral Bonds as provided by State Bank of India (SBI) vide press note of the Commission dated 14.3.2024.
Political parties had filed data on Electoral Bonds in sealed cover as directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s interim order dated April 12, 2019 in the said WP NO.880 of 2017. Data so received from political parties was deposited in the Hon’ble Supreme Court without opening sealed covers.
In pursuance of Hon’ble Supreme Court’s order dated March 15, 2024, the Registry of the Supreme Court has returned physical copies along with a digitized record of the same in a pen drive in sealed cover.
“The Election Commission of India has today uploaded the data received in digitized form from the registry of the Supreme Court on electoral bonds on its website”, the statement further reads.