BJP’s earning accounted for 85% of total income of national parties in 2024-25: ADR Report

The BJP has declared an income of Rs 6,769.14 crore in FY 2024-25, the highest among national parties, while the Congress was a distant second, declaring an income of around Rs 918.28 crore. According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), six national parties (BJP, INC, CPI(M), AAP, BSP and NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 7,960.09 crore in 2024-25, and the BJP accounted for 85.03 per cent of it. The report is based on the declarations made by political parties to the Election Commission.

The BJP spent around 55.76 per cent of its income, amounting to Rs 3,774.58 crore, while the Congress spent around Rs 1,111.94 crore, which is 21.09 per cent (Rs 193.66 crore) more than its total income.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) reported a total income of Rs 172.60 crore during the year, while its total expenditure amounted to Rs 173.86 crore, Rs 1.26 cr (0.73 per cent) less than its income.

The BSP’s total income was Rs 58.58 crore, while its expenditure for the year was Rs 106.30 crore. The party’s expenditure for that year exceeded its total income by Rs 47.71 crore (81.45 per cent).

AAP reported a total income of Rs 39.28 crore and a total expenditure of `36.46 crore, meaning the party spent 92.83 per cent of its total income. The National People’s Party (NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 2.18 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 1.19 crore, indicating the party spent 54.72 per cent of its total income. The six national parties have declared a total income of Rs 7,960.09 crore, collected from all over India.

The Congress was second with an income of Rs 918.28 crore, which forms 11.53 per cent of the total income of national parties, while the NPEP declared the least income of Rs 2.18 crore, which forms 0.02 per cent of the total. Between 2023-24 and 2024-25, the BJP’s income increased by 55.95 per cent (Rs 2,428.6768 crore), while the CPI(M) registered a marginal rise of 2.96 per cent (Rs 4.96 crore).

During the same period, the income of the Congress declined by 25.05 per cent (Rs 306.83 crore), and the BSP’s income decreased by 9.56 per cent (Rs 6.19 crore). AAP’s income witnessed a significant growth of 73.20 per cent (Rs 16.60 crore).

In FY 2024-25, national parties declared a total income of Rs 7,960.09 crore, of which 85.08 per cent (Rs 6,772.53 crore) came from donations/contributions and 14.92 per cent (Rs 1,187.56 crore) from other sources. The BJP derived 90.48 per cent of its total income from donations amounting to Rs 6,124.85 crore, while AAP received 99.85 per cent (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP received 97.74 per cent (Rs 2.14 crore) of their total income through contributions.

In contrast, the BSP reported 100 per cent of its income (Rs 58.58 crore) from other sources with no donations, whereas INC received 56.86 per cent (Rs 522.13 crore) from donations and 43.14 per cent (Rs 396.15 crore) from other sources, and CPI(M) received 48.77 per cent (Rs 84.17 crore) from donations and 51.23 per cent (Rs 88.42 crore) from other sources.

National parties that received the highest income from donations/contributions include the BJP (Rs 6124.85 crore), Congress (Rs 522.13 crore), CPI(M) (Rs 84.17 crore), AAP (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP (Rs 2.14 crore). The collection from issuing coupons, Rs 350.12 crore declared by the Congress, formed 38.12 per cent of its total income during 2024-25.

The report said the most common and popular items of expenditure for national parties are the election expenses and administrative/general expenses.

The BJP spent Rs 3335.36 crore on election/general propaganda, followed by Rs 323.05 crore for administrative costs. The Congress spent Rs 896.22 crore on election expenditure, followed by expenses towards administrative and general expenses of around Rs 159.68 crore.

CPI(M) spent Rs 78.11 crore on administrative and general expenses, followed by Rs 51.03 crore on Employee Cost.