The ruling party and regional ones largely received electoral bonds of the highest denomination. Denominations were lower for those out of power at the Centre.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got over Rs 6,060 crore through electoral bonds, data released by the Election Commission of India showed on Thursday. The majority of these donations were through bonds of Rs 1 crore, the highest denomination. The actual proportion varied from 52.7 per cent in 2019 to 90.9 per cent so far in 2024.
Regional parties exhibited a similar trend with donations of over Rs 5,221.3 crore since 2019. The share of Rs 1 crore bonds were 26.7 per cent in 2019. It has accounted for the majority of donations every year since. The average over the last five years was over 66 per cent.
The Indian National Congress had largely received donations from bonds worth Rs 10 lakh or less. The total donations received since 2019 stood at Rs 1,421.9 crore. They accounted for 64.9 per cent of donations on average over the past five years.