New Delhi, Sep 10: Around 40 regional political parties in India declared a combined income of Rs 2,532.09 crore in the financial year 2023-24, with more than 70% of their funds coming through electoral bonds, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) reported the highest income at Rs 685.51 crore, followed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) with Rs 646.39 crore, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) with Rs 297.81 crore, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with Rs 285.07 crore, and YSR Congress with Rs 191.04 crore. Together, these five parties contributed 83.17% of the total income declared by the 40 regional parties.
ADR highlighted that Rs 1,796.02 crore (over 70% of total income) came from electoral bonds. Within total income, voluntary contributions accounted for Rs 2,117.85 crore (83.64%), while interest income stood at Rs 274.90 crore (10.86%). Donations from other sources contributed Rs 321.82 crore.
The report also flagged audit delays, noting that 20 regional parties’ audit reports were unavailable on the Election Commission of India’s website even 313 days after the submission deadline. Where available, reports were delayed between 12 and 216 days.
Income of regional parties rose sharply by 45.77% compared to FY 2022-23, which stood at Rs 1,736.85 crore. TMC saw the largest increase of Rs 312.93 crore, with BJD and TDP also recording significant gains.
The report observed spending patterns: 27 parties reported unspent income, with BRS holding Rs 430.60 crore, TMC Rs 414.92 crore, and BJD Rs 253.79 crore. Conversely, 12 parties, including YSR Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, and JD(U), spent more than their income, with YSR Congress exceeding expenses by nearly 55%. The Goa Forward Party reported no income but declared Rs 1.56 lakh in expenses.
According to State Bank of India data obtained via RTI, electoral bonds worth Rs 4,507.56 crore were redeemed by parties in FY 2023-24, with 39.84% (Rs 1,796.02 crore) redeemed by regional parties and 55.998% by national parties. Among national parties, only BJP, Congress, and AAP received donations via electoral bonds.