The ruling BJP got the lion’s share of Rs 915.59 crore as donations from 1,731 corporate donors between 2016 and 2018. This is over 16 times more than what the Congress received in the same period. 

According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) that analysed the donations from corporates to national parties  during the period 2016-18,   Prudent/Satya Electoral Trust, Bhadram Janhit Shalika Trust, Cadila Healthcare Limited,  Modern Road Makers, Janta Nirvachak Electoral Trust, Apex Jewellers AB General Electoral Trust and Kakinada Seaports Limited were among the top donors during this period.  The report says about 93 per cent of the total voluntary contributions above Rs 20,000 received by the six national political parties between 2016 and 2018 came from corporates and business houses.

“Out of the six national parties, BJP received the maximum donations of Rs 915.596 crore from 1,731 corporate donors followed by Congress which received a total contribution of Rs 55.36 crore from 151 corporate donors and NCP with Rs 7.737 crore from 23 corporate donors in financial year 2016-17 and 2017-18,” the report said.

The ADR said electoral trusts were the biggest donors to the national parties, contributing a total of Rs 488.42 crore. The BJP got the most, at Rs 458.02 crore, followed by the Congress (Rs 29.40 crore).

 Prudent/Satya Electoral Trust was the top donor to two of the national parties. “The Trust donated a total of 46 times in two years, amounting to Rs 429.42 crore. The BJP declared receiving Rs 405.52 crore in 33 donations while the Congress was the recipient of Rs 23.90 crore of funds in 13 donations from Prudent/Satya Electoral Trust. Bhadram Janhit Shalika Trust was the second highest corporate donor to the BJP and the Congress, donating 10 times, a total amount of Rs 41 crore. Janta Nirvachak Electoral Trust was the third highest corporate donors to the BJP and the Congress with a total donation amount of Rs 25 crore,” the report said.

After Electoral Trust, the Manufacturing sector was the second highest donors, contributing a total of Rs 120 crore.  Real estate sector was the third  highest donors contributing a total of Rs 90 crore during the same period. The BJP received the highest donations from all 15 sectors including manufacturing (Rs 107.54 crore), real estate (Rs 88.57 crore), mining, construction, exports and imports (Rs 57.40 crore).

The report says that Delhi was among the top in the list of donors list which contributed Rs 481.37 crore to these political parties, followed by Maharashtra (Rs 176.88 crore) and Karnataka (Rs 43.184 crore).

The ADR said during financial years 2016-17 and 2017-18, the voluntary contributions of BJP and the Congress above Rs 20,000 from corporates was 94 per cent and 81 per cent respectively.

Between financial years 2012-13 and 2017-18, the BJP received the maximum corporate donations of Rs 1,621.40 crore, constituting 83.49 per cent of the total corporate donations in six years.

According to the ADR analysis, during the period 2016-18 business houses donated a total of Rs 985.18 crore, constituting 93 per cent of the total contribution to political parties from known sources.

The ADR analysis said donations from corporates to national parties increased by 160 per cent between financial years 2004-05 to 2011-12 and financial years 2016-17 to 2017-18.

Between financial years 2012-13 and 2017-18, donations from corporates to national parties increased by 414 per cent, with a major drop in the percentage of corporate donations in financial year 2015-16. Donations from corporates to national parties reduced by 25.07 per cent between financial year 2016-17 and 2017-18.