New Delhi : The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released data on political donations for 2024–25, showing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received nearly 12 times more funding than its rival Congress. According to the ECI, the BJP raised Rs 6,088 crore during the year, while the Congress received Rs 522 crore.
Notably, in 2023-24, the BJP received Rs 3,967 crore while Congress had received Rs 1,130 crore as political funding in 2023-24. Political funding in 2024–25 is significant as it marks the first full year after the Supreme Court scrapped the Electoral Bond scheme, which had allowed anonymous donations, in February 2024.
Thirteen of the 19 registered electoral trusts have so far submitted their contribution reports to the ECI for the financial year 2024–25. Under election rules, an electoral trust must distribute at least 95 per cent of the funds it receives to political parties in the same financial year.
The contribution reports available on the ECI website show donations made by individuals and entities who contributed more than Rs 20,000 to political parties. The filings also include disclosures by electoral trusts, most notably the Prudent Electoral Trust, detailing the donations they made to political parties during the year.
As per the ECI data, the BJP received around 85 per cent of the total political funding routed through electoral trusts in 2024–25. In comparison, the party had received about 56 per cent of such funding in the year preceding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The disclosures cover donations received between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections were held between April 19 and June 1, 2024.
Before 2024, electoral bonds accounted for a large share of political funding received by parties. However, after the Supreme Court scrapped the Electoral Bond scheme in February 2024, most of the political funding reported in 2024–25 has come through electoral trusts.
The Prudent Electoral Trust emerged as the largest contributor, the reports show. It donated Rs 2,181 crore to the BJP and Rs 216 crore to the Congress during the year. Among corporate donors, the biggest contribution to Prudent came from Elevated Avenue Realty LLP, a company linked to engineering and technology major Larsen & Toubro, which donated Rs 500 crore.
The Progressive Electoral Trust was the second-largest donor, contributing Rs 757.6 crore to the BJP and Rs 77.3 crore to the Congress. AB General Trust ranked third, donating Rs 606 crore to the BJP and Rs 15 crore to the Congress.
Under Indian law, all registered political parties are required to submit annual audit and contribution reports to the ECI. This mandatory disclosure is aimed at improving transparency and accountability in political funding, as laid down under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Income Tax Act, 1961.
As per tax provisions, companies and individuals are eligible for a 100 per cent tax deduction on approved political donations under Section 80GGB of the Income Tax Act, 1961, which reduces their taxable income.
