BJP received 82% of ₹3,826 crore donated by electoral trusts in 2024-25: ADR

Electoral trusts received ₹3,826.34 crore in contributions in financial year 2024-25 and disbursed ₹3,826.35 crore to political parties, with the BJP receiving more than 82% of the funds, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said on Friday (February 13, 2026).

In its latest report analysing contribution documents submitted to the Election Commission (EC), the NGO said 10 of the 20 registered electoral trusts declared receiving donations during FY25, while five did not have their reports available on the Commission’s website even three months after the deadline.

According to the ADR, a total of ₹3,826.34 crore was received from corporations and individuals during the financial year and ₹3,826.35 crore distributed to various political parties, in keeping with rules that mandate trusts to disburse at least 95% of contributions received in a year.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party received ₹3,157.65 crore, accounting for 82.52% of the total funds distributed by the electoral trusts. The Indian National Congress (INC) received ₹298.78 crore or 7.81%, while the Trinamool Congress got ₹102 crore (2.67%). Nineteen other parties together received ₹267.92 crore.

Among the trusts, Prudent Electoral Trust disbursed the highest amount — ₹2,668.46 crore — to 15 political parties, followed by Progressive Electoral Trust, which donated ₹914.97 crore to 10 parties.

The ADR said 228 corporate or business houses contributed ₹3,636.82 crore, while 99 individuals donated ₹187.62 crore during the year. The top 10 donors together accounted for ₹1,908.86 crore — nearly 49.89% of the total contributions.

Single-largest donor

Elevated Avenue Realty LLP was the single-largest donor, contributing ₹500 crore, followed by Tata Sons Private Limited (₹308.13 crore), Tata Consultancy Services Limited (₹217.62 crore) and Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (₹175 crore).

Sector-wise, manufacturing accounted for the largest share of donations at ₹1,063.13 crore (27.78%), followed by real estate (₹629.17 crore or 16.44%) and communication/IT/telecom (₹451.86 crore or 11.81%).

State-wise, Maharashtra emerged as the largest source of contributions at ₹1,225.43 crore, followed by Telangana (₹358.25 crore), Haryana (₹212.9 crore), West Bengal (₹203.8538 crore) and Gujarat (₹200.50 crore). However, the ADR noted that the donors’ addresses were not disclosed for contributions worth ₹1,065.2 crore, the bulk of which went to Prudent Electoral Trust.

Compliance issues

The report also flagged compliance issues. Five of the 15 trusts that submitted annual reports declared nil contributions in FY25. The contribution reports of five registered trusts — Swadeshi Electoral Trust, AB General Electoral Trust, PD General Electoral Trust, Janta Nirvachak Electoral Trust and Independent Electoral Trust — were not available on the EC’s website, the ADR said.

It further pointed out that Harmony Electoral Trust received ₹35.55 crore but disbursed ₹35.65 crore — ₹10 lakh more than it received during the year.

Under the Electoral Trusts Scheme, 2013, notified after amendments to the Income Tax Rules, electoral trusts are set up to receive voluntary contributions from companies and individuals and distribute those to registered political parties in a transparent manner. The approval of such trusts is granted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and is subject to periodic renewals.

Recommending greater transparency, the ADR said trusts that fail to comply with the EC’s guidelines should face strict action and that details of corporate political contributions should be placed in the public domain through company disclosures.

The electoral bonds scheme, which had allowed anonymous corporate and individual donations to political parties through banking instruments, was scrapped in February 2024 by the Supreme Court, which held it unconstitutional and violative of the voters’ right to information.

Published – February 13, 2026 06:50 pm IST