Skip to main content

Electoral trusts route Rs 3,826 crore to parties in FY25; BJP gets 82% share: ADR analysis

By A Representative 
The New Delhi-based think tank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has released its analysis of contribution reports submitted by electoral trusts for the financial year 2024–25, revealing that a total of Rs 3,826.3417 crore was received from corporates and individuals and Rs 3,826.3522 crore was disbursed to political parties during the year. The report is based on annual contribution statements filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) by trusts registered with the Central Board of Direct Taxes under the Electoral Trusts Scheme, 2013.
Out of 20 registered electoral trusts, 15 submitted their annual reports to the ECI for FY 2024–25, but only 10 declared receiving any donations. Five trusts reported nil contributions, while the reports of five others were not available on the ECI website even three months after the October 31, 2025 deadline. According to ADR, this raises concerns over compliance and transparency, particularly as some trusts have either never reported receiving contributions since registration or have done so only once.
The data shows that corporate India continues to dominate political funding routed through electoral trusts. A total of 228 corporate or business houses contributed Rs 3,636.819 crore, accounting for the overwhelming share of donations. In comparison, 99 individuals donated Rs 187.6227 crore, with 96 of them contributing Rs 187.5427 crore to Prudent Electoral Trust alone. An additional Rs 1.90 crore was reported under “others.”
Prudent Electoral Trust emerged as the largest recipient, collecting Rs 2,668.4917 crore and disbursing Rs 2,668.4647 crore to 15 political parties. Progressive Electoral Trust followed with Rs 915 crore in receipts and Rs 914.97 crore in disbursements, while New Democratic Electoral Trust reported Rs 160 crore in both receipts and payouts. Harmony Electoral Trust received Rs 35.55 crore but disbursed Rs 35.65 crore—Rs 10 lakh more than its total contributions—an anomaly flagged in the report. Smaller trusts such as Triumph, Bhartiya Bhumi, Samaj, Janpragati, Jankalyan and Einzigartig Electoral Trust accounted for the remaining inflows and outflows.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received the lion’s share of electoral trust funding, garnering Rs 3,157.6549 crore, or 82.52% of the total amount distributed. Of this, Rs 2,180.7119 crore came from Prudent Electoral Trust and Rs 757.6205 crore from Progressive Electoral Trust, with additional sums from other trusts. The Indian National Congress (INC) received Rs 298.7795 crore, representing 7.81% of total trust disbursements. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) received Rs 102 crore, while 19 other parties collectively shared Rs 267.9178 crore. In total, 21 political parties benefited from electoral trust funding during the year.
Among donors, Elevated Avenue Realty LLP topped the list with a contribution of Rs 500 crore, followed by Tata Sons Private Limited at Rs 308.1324 crore and Tata Consultancy Services Limited at Rs 217.6216 crore. Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited contributed Rs 175 crore across multiple tranches. The top 10 donors together contributed Rs 1,908.8621 crore, accounting for nearly half—49.89%—of all donations received by electoral trusts in FY 2024–25.
Sector-wise, manufacturing led with Rs 1,063.128 crore (27.78% of total donations), followed by real estate at Rs 629.17 crore (16.44%) and communication/IT/telecom at Rs 451.8582 crore (11.81%). Finance contributed Rs 389.8581 crore (10.19%), while mining, construction, infrastructure and engineering together accounted for Rs 358.6872 crore (9.37%). Power and oil contributed Rs 255.9675 crore (6.69%). Healthcare, shipping and logistics, hospitality and other sectors made up the remaining share, with individual donors accounting for 4.90% of total contributions.
State-wise analysis indicates that Maharashtra was the largest source of contributions at Rs 1,225.4293 crore, largely routed through Progressive and New Democratic Electoral Trusts. Significant sums also originated from Telangana (Rs 358.25 crore), Haryana (Rs 212.90 crore), Gujarat (Rs 200.50 crore), West Bengal (Rs 203.8538 crore), Delhi (Rs 188.72 crore) and Tamil Nadu (Rs 153 crore). Notably, donations amounting to Rs 1,065.2048 crore were reported without disclosed donor addresses, of which Rs 1,004.1548 crore was received by Prudent Electoral Trust.
The report also highlights the concentration of donations in specific months. April 2024 recorded the highest inflow at Rs 1,217.0821 crore, followed by October 2024 with Rs 1,021.525 crore and May 2024 with Rs 934.3919 crore. Progressive Electoral Trust’s activity was largely concentrated in October 2024, when it received the bulk of its annual contributions.
ADR has reiterated its recommendations for greater transparency and accountability in political financing. It has called for stricter enforcement of compliance norms, withdrawal of approval for trusts that remain inactive, inclusion of parent company names in trust titles to enhance transparency, and mandatory public disclosure by corporates of their political contributions and beneficiary parties. The findings underscore the continued dominance of corporate funding in India’s political finance ecosystem and the heavy concentration of electoral trust disbursements toward a single political party in FY 2024–25.

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup*  I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.
Post a Comment
»

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra  International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars. 
Post a Comment
»

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan   In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.
Post a Comment
»

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan  A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.
1 comment
»

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor*  Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.
Post a Comment
»

Dr. Ram Bux Singh: Biogas pioneer’s legacy gains urgency amid energy crisis

By A Representative   In an era defined by a global energy crisis and a desperate search for sustainable solutions, the visionary work of an Indian scientist from the mid-20th century is finding renewed, urgent relevance. Dr. Ram Bux Singh , a pioneering figure in biogas and renewable energy , is being posthumously honored by the Government of India, even as his decades-old innovations provide a blueprint for today’s challenges.
1 comment
»

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan  A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”
Post a Comment
»

A 366-metre gap, a million commuters affected: Kolkata metro delay hurts public interest

By Atanu Roy*  Compromising the interests of ordinary people, the authorities concerned in West Bengal appear to be playing with the timeline of the Kolkata Metro’s Orange Line project , turning what should have been a transformative public transport corridor into a prolonged ordeal for commuters.
Post a Comment
»

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.
59 comments
»