BJP received ₹6,654cr in donations in 2024-25: Report
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reported receiving a whopping ₹6,654.93 crore in donations during the 2024-25 financial year, also when the Lok Sabha elections were held, according to a report submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The figure is a staggering 68% increase from the previous year's ₹3,967 crore. The BJP submitted the report detailing contributions over ₹20,000 on December 8, and it is now available on its website.
Funding sources
Electoral trusts major contributors to BJP's funds
Notably, around 40% of the BJP's donations came from electoral trusts. The Prudent Electoral Trust was the biggest donor with ₹2,180 crore, followed by the Progressive Electoral Trust (₹757 crore) and New Democratic Electoral Trust (₹150 crore). Other corporate donors included Serum Institute of India (₹100 crore), Rungta Sons Private Limited (₹95 crore), Vedanta (₹67 crore), and Macrotech Developers (now Lodha Developers), which donated ₹65 crore.
Individual donations
BJP leaders also contributed to party's funds
Several BJP leaders also made individual contributions. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma donated ₹3 lakh while Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi contributed ₹5 lakh. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava donated ₹1 lakh each. Akash Vijayvargiya, son of BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, also donated ₹1 lakh along with several other party leaders.
Declining funds
Other parties see drop in donations
In contrast to the BJP's windfall, other political parties saw a sharp decline in their donations. The Congress party's donations fell by 43% to ₹522.13 crore from ₹1,129 crore the previous year. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) also saw its contributions fall to ₹184.08 crore from ₹618.8 crore the previous year. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) reported a steep drop with just ₹15.09 crore against last year's ₹580 crore receipts.
Rising funds
AAP, TDP report increase in donations
On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) saw an increase in its donations, raising ₹39.2 crore against last year's ₹22.1 crore. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also saw a decline with ₹85.2 crore in donations this year as compared to ₹274 crore last year. However, it earned additional income of ₹102 crore from fees and subscriptions during this period.
Declining funds
BJD's donations fall sharply
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) also saw a sharp fall in its donations, receiving only ₹60 crore this year compared to ₹246 crore last fiscal. The 2024-25 financial year was also the first without electoral bonds after the Supreme Court declared the scheme unconstitutional. Under this scheme, political parties had received over ₹16,000 crore in anonymous donations over the years, with the BJP receiving a major share.