What Electoral Bonds Data Tells Us About Top Donors And Beneficiaries

The Election Commission on Sunday released data received from political parties on electoral bonds. The poll body had earlier given the data to the Supreme Court in sealed covers. These electoral bonds data are believed to be for the period before April 12, 2019.

Here are the top donors and biggest recipients of the electoral bond scheme: 

Top donors

Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR topped the list with a donation of Rs 1,368 crore. Among other major contributors were Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (Rs 966 crore), Qwik Supply Chain Pvt Ltd (Rs 410 crore), Vedanta Ltd (Rs 400 crore), and Haldia Energy Ltd (Rs 377 crore).

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The Bharti Group, with a donation of Rs 247 crore, is next on the list, followed by Essel Mining & Industries Ltd (Rs 224 crore), Western UP Power Transmission Company Ltd (Rs 220 crore), Keventer Foodpark Infra Ltd (Rs 195 crore) and Madanlal Ltd (Rs 185 crore). 

Top recipients

The ruling BJP has been the biggest beneficiary of the electoral bond scheme, receiving a total donation of Rs 6,986.5 crore.

With Rs 1,397 crore, the Trinamool Congress emerged as the second biggest beneficiary. About Rs 1,334 crore went to the Congress while the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) received Rs 1,322 crore.

With Rs 944.5 crore, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of Odisha is in fifth place, followed by the DMK with Rs 656.5 crore and the YSR Congress of Andhra Pradesh with over Rs 442.8 crore.

Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party received Rs 10.84 crore in donations, including 10 bonds valued at Rs 10 crore sent "by post".

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The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) received bonds worth Rs 181.35 crore, Shiv Sena Rs 130.38 crore, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rs 56 crore, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Rs 50.51 crore, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha Rs 15.5 crore, Samajwadi Party (SP) Rs 14.05 crore, Akali Dal Rs 7.26 crore, AIADMK Rs 6.05 crore, National Conference (NC) Rs 50 lakh and Sikkim Democratic Front Rs 50 lakh from the Bharti Group.

While the Aam Aadmi Party did not reveal how much it has received through electoral bonds, the SBI records show that it has been given Rs 65.45 crore. With an additional Rs 3.55 crore taken into consideration after registering with the EC, the total amount redeemed by the AAP stands at Rs 69 crore.

While the DMK has divulged donor identities, major parties like the BJP, Congress, and Trinamool have not submitted complete information to the EC.