New Delhi

Electoral trusts received contributions worth ₹3,826.34 crore during the financial year 2024–25 and disbursed ₹3,826.35 crore to political parties, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party cornering over 82 per cent of the total funds, according to a report released on Friday by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

In its analysis of contribution statements submitted to the Election Commission of India (EC), the NGO said that out of 20 registered electoral trusts, only 10 declared receiving donations in FY25. It also noted that reports of five trusts were still not available on the poll panel’s website even three months after the submission deadline.

As per ADR, a total of ₹3,826.3417 crore was received from corporate entities and individuals during the year, while ₹3,826.3522 crore was distributed to political parties, in line with rules requiring electoral trusts to disburse at least 95 per cent of their annual receipts.

The BJP emerged as the biggest beneficiary, receiving ₹3,157.6549 crore — 82.52 per cent of the total amount disbursed. The Indian National Congress (INC) received ₹298.7795 crore (7.81 per cent), followed by the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) with ₹102 crore (2.67 per cent). Nineteen other political parties together shared ₹267.9178 crore.

Among the electoral trusts, Prudent Electoral Trust disbursed the highest amount of ₹2,668.4647 crore to 15 political parties. It was followed by Progressive Electoral Trust, which donated ₹914.97 crore to 10 parties.

The report showed that corporate and business houses dominated political funding, with 228 such entities contributing ₹3,636.819 crore. In comparison, 99 individuals donated ₹187.6227 crore. The top 10 donors alone accounted for ₹1,908.8621 crore, or nearly 49.89 per cent of the total contributions.

Elevated Avenue Realty LLP was the largest single donor at ₹500 crore. Other major contributors included Tata Sons Private Limited (₹308.13 crore), Tata Consultancy Services Limited (₹217.62 crore) and Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (₹175 crore).

Sector-wise, manufacturing firms contributed the largest share at ₹1,063.128 crore (27.78 per cent), followed by real estate with ₹629.17 crore (16.44 per cent) and communication, IT and telecom companies with ₹451.8582 crore (11.81 per cent).

Maharashtra emerged as the biggest source of donations, contributing ₹1,225.4293 crore. It was followed by Telangana (₹358.25 crore), Haryana (₹212.9 crore), West Bengal (₹203.8538 crore) and Gujarat (₹200.50 crore). However, ADR flagged that donor addresses were not disclosed for contributions amounting to ₹1,065.2048 crore, most of which went to Prudent Electoral Trust.

The watchdog also highlighted compliance issues. Five of the 15 trusts that submitted reports declared nil contributions, while reports of five registered trusts — Swadeshi Electoral Trust, AB General Electoral Trust, PD General Electoral Trust, Janta Nirvachak Electoral Trust and Independent Electoral Trust — were missing from the EC website.

ADR further pointed out an anomaly where Harmony Electoral Trust disbursed ₹35.65 crore, ₹10 lakh more than the ₹35.55 crore it received during the year.

Under the Electoral Trusts Scheme, 2013, electoral trusts are authorised to receive voluntary donations from companies and individuals and distribute them to registered political parties in a transparent manner. These trusts are approved and periodically renewed by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

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Calling for stronger transparency norms, ADR recommended strict action against non-compliant trusts and greater public disclosure of corporate political donations. It also recalled that the electoral bonds scheme was scrapped by the Supreme Court of India in February 2024, after it was held unconstitutional and violative of voters’ right to information.