Page 3 - Latest Updates on Electoral Bond
BJP biggest beneficiary of Aurobindo Pharma's Rs 52 cr electoral bonds
Earlier this week, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had highlighted Aurobindo Pharma's case to attack the govt on the now scrapped electoral bonds issue saying it was indulging in extortion
 "BJP biggest beneficiary of Aurobindo Pharma's Rs 52 cr electoral bonds")
Electoral bond disclosures: Small, unrecognised parties reap benefits
Most unrecognized parties had disclosed their share of electoral bonds received as 'nil', as per the electoral bonds disclosure in digitised form on 17 March 2024
 "Electoral bond disclosures: Small, unrecognised parties reap benefits")
Bharti Airtel, subsidiary donated Rs 234 cr to BJP via electoral bonds
Bharti Airtel donated nearly Rs 197.5 crore to BJP, Rs 50 lakh to J&K National Conference, and Rs 10 lakh to Rashtriya Janata Dal
 "Bharti Airtel, subsidiary donated Rs 234 cr to BJP via electoral bonds")
Electoral bonds data: Here's how much the BJP, Congress and TMC received
While BJP received the largest amount of corporate donations via electoral bonds, Congress ranked behind Trinamool Congress in terms of donations
 "Electoral bonds data: Here's how much the BJP, Congress and TMC received")
Company that's biggest electoral bond donor funded 10 state-level parties
Future Gaming and Hotel Services spread its bets across national and regional players
 "Company that's biggest electoral bond donor funded 10 state-level parties")
Electoral bonds data: Here's a list of the biggest donors and beneficiaries
Lottery firm Future Gaming and Megha Infrastructure were the biggest purchasers of the electoral bonds scheme, while BJP and TMC were the largest beneficiaries
 "Electoral bonds data: Here's a list of the biggest donors and beneficiaries")
Firm gave BJP Rs 25 cr in donations after director's arrest: Bharadwaj
A Hyderabad-based Pharma company whose director was arrested by ED in the excise policy case paid Rs 25 cr in electoral bonds to the BJP in November 2022, he alleged
 "Firm gave BJP Rs 25 cr in donations after director's arrest: Bharadwaj")
Electoral bond disclosures: Jalan group bonds well with political parties
Financial records of two group companies show that the donations gave are disproportionately high compared to the of the firms, at least in the years they purchased the bonds
 "Electoral bond disclosures: Jalan group bonds well with political parties")
Electoral bonds: Megha Engineering, Qwik Supply big donors for ruling BJP
The BJP also got donations worth Rs 80 crore from Western UP Power and Transmission Company, and Rs 42 crore from Welspun
Electoral bonds data: Qwik Supply gave Rs 385 cr to BJP, Rs 25 to Shiv Sena
Qwik Supply, an unlisted private company, was incorporated on November 9, 2000, with an authorised share capital of Rs 130.99 crore. Its paid-up capital is Rs 129.99 crore
 "Electoral bonds data: Qwik Supply gave Rs 385 cr to BJP, Rs 25 to Shiv Sena")
Election Commission publishes electoral bond data with matching numbers
The 552 page list of parties that redeemed these bonds is of the duration April 12, 2019 to January 24, 2024. The EC said it has uploaded the data received from the SBI on "as is where is basis"
 "Election Commission publishes electoral bond data with matching numbers")
Needed: Solutions for political finance
As the apex court has ruled, the electoral bond scheme was not appropriate
Electoral bonds: Future Gaming donates Rs 540 cr to TMC, Rs 509 cr to DMK
While a plethora of well-known corporates bought the bonds when the scheme was alive, the biggest donor to political parties was Future Gaming, which purchased bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore
 "Electoral bonds: Future Gaming donates Rs 540 cr to TMC, Rs 509 cr to DMK")
SBI submits all electoral bond details, including unique numbers, to ECI
The unique numbers would match the buyers and the recipient political parties of the electoral bonds
EC releases electoral bonds data with bond numbers: See full list
The data also include details of redemption by political parties, including serial number, date of encashment, and name of political party, among other information
SBI furnishes complete electoral bond details with serial numbers to ECI
The move comes after the apex court had pulled up State Bank of India for giving 'selective details' and asked it to provide complete details regarding the electoral bonds scheme
 "SBI furnishes complete electoral bond details with serial numbers to ECI")
Gaps remain in electoral bond information despite additional disclosures
The Election Commission of India is set to release information on serial numbers enabling matching of donors with the parties to which they donated money
 "Gaps remain in electoral bond information despite additional disclosures")
BJP engaged in extortion by misusing ED and CBI raids: Akhilesh Yadav
"The government has made extortion strategies, and now with the electoral bonds it has been proven that no one could have done extortion the way the BJP has done," said Yadav
 "BJP engaged in extortion by misusing ED and CBI raids: Akhilesh Yadav")
Highlights of the day: Fed keeps key rates unchanged at 5.25-5.50%
Latest news updates: Catch all the news updates from around the world here
 "Highlights of the day: Fed keeps key rates unchanged at 5.25-5.50%")
Future Gaming, others halted govt's plans to amending lottery rules
The Ministry of Home Affairs proposal to amend Lottery Regulation Act was junked due to resistance from influential market players like Santiago Martin, an Economic Times report has claimed
 "Future Gaming, others halted govt's plans to amending lottery rules")
