The BJP received Rs 5,270 crore in electoral bonds out of the total Rs 9,208 crore sold till 2022.
The BJP received more than half of all electoral bonds, the controversial financial tool that helps companies donate unlimited amounts of money to political parties anonymously, bought between March 2018 and 2022, Election Commission data has shown.
According to disclosures by political parties, the BJP received Rs 5,270 crore out of a total of Rs 9,208 crore or 57 per cent of all total electoral bonds sold till 2022.
The main opposition Congress party came a distant second, receiving Rs 964 crore or 10 per cent in the same period, while West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress got Rs 767 crore or 8 per cent of all electoral bonds.
The BJP received Rs 1,033 crore in electoral bonds in the financial year ending March 2022, Rs 22.38 crore in 2021, Rs 2,555 crore in 2020 and Rs 1,450 crore in 2019. It also disclosed Rs 210 crore as receipts in the 2018 financial year.
The Congress got Rs 253 crore via electoral bonds in the 2022 fiscal year, Rs 10 crore in 2021, Rs 317 crore in 2020 and Rs 383 crore in 2019.
The Trinamool Congress received Rs 528 crore in the financial year ending March 2022, Rs 42 crore in 2021, Rs 100 crore in 2020, and Rs 97 crore in 2019.
Introduced in 2017, electoral bonds are financial instruments that can be purchased by individuals and companies to donate to political parties in India.
Since electoral bonds allow for anonymous donations to political parties, critics of the system say they can lead to potential abuse of power and corruption.
Additionally, these bonds can be used to launder money. Critics argue that electoral bonds undermine transparency in political funding and give an unfair advantage to wealthy donors.
The Supreme Court has said it will hear a batch of petitions challenging laws that make up the system later this month.