Parties redeemed electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.56 cr last yr: ADR

Electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.56 crore were redeemed by parties in 2019-20, and 87.29 per cent of this was received by four national parties -- the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said.

In a new report, the ADR said the BJP declared a total income of Rs 3,623.28 crore during the financial year 2019-20, but spent only 45.57 per cent (Rs 1,651.022 crore) of it.

The Congress' total income in 2019-20 was Rs 682.21 crore.

The party spent Rs 998.158 crore, which exceeds its income for that year by 46.31 per cent, it said.

The TMC declared a total income of Rs 143.676 crore during FY 2019-20, and spent Rs 107.277 crore (74.67 per cent), the ADR report added.

'As per the data shared by SBI in response to ADR's RTI application, electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.5586 crore were redeemed by parties in FY 2019-20. Of this, 87.29 per cent was received by four national parties -- the BJP, the INC, the AITC and the NCP,' it said.

'The total amount of electoral bonds declared by national and regional parties for FY 2019-20 so far is Rs 3,441.324 crore.

'The difference in the amount declared by political parties and the data on EBs redeemed received from SBI could be due to the manner in which parties report in their audit report,' the ADR said.

'Seven national parties (the BJP, the Congress, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the NCP, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the AITC and the Communist Party of India) have declared a total income of Rs 4,758.206 crore, collected from all over India,' it said.

The poll rights body said national parties that received the maximum income from donations or contributions include the BJP (Rs 3,427.775 crore), the Congress (Rs 469.386 crore), the AITC (Rs 108.548 crore), the CPI-M (Rs 93.017 crore) and the CPI (Rs 3.024 crore).

'Four national parties namely the BJP, the INC, the AITC and the NCP collected 62.92 per cent (Rs 2,993.826 cr) of their total income from donations through electoral bonds for FY 2019-20. BJP received donations through electoral bonds worth Rs 2,555.0001 crore, Congress received Rs 317.861 crore, AITC received Rs 100.4646 crore and NCP received Rs 20.50 crore,' the report said.

The report added that the most common and popular items of expenditure for national parties in FY 2019-20 were election expenses or general propaganda and administrative or general expenses.

It also said that between 2018-19 and 2019-20, the BJP's income increased by 50.34 per cent (Rs 1,213.20 crore) from Rs 2,410.08 crore to Rs 3,623.28 crore.

The Congress's income decreased by 25.69 per cent (Rs 235.82 crore) from Rs 918.03 crore during 2018-19 to Rs 682.21 crore during 2019-20.

'Between FY 2018-19 and 2019-20, the highest percentage increase in income was declared by the NCP of 68.77 per cent (Rs 34.873 crore) from Rs 50.71 crore during FY 2018-19 to Rs 85.583 crore during FY 2019-20,' it said.