BJD conceals receipt of donations for 6 yrs

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Ruling BJD has not submitted its donation report to the Election Commission (EC) for last six years from 2003-04 to 2008-09, while the regional party had received donation amounting to Rs 5 crore from 2009-10 to 2011-12 from a Mumbai-based company through its electoral trust.

According to a report jointly prepared by the Odisha Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on donations received by major political parties, the BJD has received no donations from any State donors during the last three years from 2009-10 to 2011-12.

However, the report said that the party received contributions to the tune of Rs 5 crore through cheques in two equal installments from Electoral Trust secretary general Nitin Mathuria which is located at B-4 Adiya Birla Centre, SK Ahire Marge, Worli, Mumbai during 2009-10.

As per the Section 29 © of the Representation of People Act, 1951, political parties are required to submit contribution details received in excess of Rs 20,000 from any person or company to the EC.

The report was released here on Sunday during the 9th State level convention on electoral and political reforms jointly organised here by the Odisha Election Watch and the ADR.

The report said that while CPM received no donations from Odisha donors from 2003-04 to 2011-12, the CPI received a total of Rs 1.07 lakh from Odisha during 2010-11. No donors contributed from Odisha to the State unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) from 2003-04 to 2006-07. The NCP has not submitted its donation report to the EC for the period too.

A total of five State donors made donations to the Congress between 2003-04 and 2011-12, while BJP received donations from two State donors during the same period of nine years. The CPM and the NCP received no donations from Odisha during the nine years, the report said.

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BJD conceals receipt of donations for 6 yrs

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While donations made from Odisha to Congress stood at Rs 51, 38,725  between 2004 and 2012, a sum of Rs 31, 51,000 was donated by two donors to BJP, the report pointed out.

The Congress is the only party which received a donation of Rs 25 lakh from an Odisha donor during 2003-04. In 2004-05, the Congress and the BJP received Rs 25 lakh each from the Jindal Steel and Power limited.

The report said during the last nine years from 2003-04 to 2011-12, five donors contributed more than Rs 20,000 to Congress, two to BJP and one to CPI in the State. The major contributors to the Congress were the Jindal Steel and Power limited (Rs 50 lakh) from 2003-04 to 2004-05. One Gandhi Memorial Charitable Trust donated Rs 30,000 to the party as well.

Top donors to BJP were the Jindal Steel and Power limited (Rs 25 lakh) followed by Bhawani Construction Private limited (Rs 6.51 lakh). During the nine years since 2003-04 , the donation reports of the CPM and the NCP show no donations from Odisha, while the BSP stated it  received no donations above Rs 20,000 from any donor all over India.

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