While they may not be among the top donors, prominent businessmen from Punjab and Haryana are featured in the list of entities who bought electoral bonds as shared by the State Bank of India (SBI). Notable entities include Ludhiana-based Fastway Transmissions Private Limited, Vardhman Textiles, and Trident Group of Industries, along with Panchkula-based SP Singla Construction Private Limited. Fastway Transmissions Private Limited operates as a multi-satellite service provider, offering its services across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, among others. Claiming to be the largest Management Services Organisation (MSO) in north India, it dominates the cable TV services sector in Punjab. The company purchased bonds worth Rs 5 crore on May 10, 2019. Led by Ludhiana-based businessman Gurdeep Singh Jujhar, a pioneer in the Indian transport industry, the Jujhar group has diversified interests in logistics, IT, and real estate. Jujhar is known to have close ties with Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and his family. In December last year, Punjab Police had conducted raids at Jujhar's Ludhiana residence and several other locations belonging to his employees in Patiala and Mohali, while also launching a manhunt for Jujhar. He was named in two FIRs related to cable network business rivalry. Over 10 FIRs were registered against individuals associated with Fastway, with cable operators accusing each other of disrupting and stealing optical wires. Jujhar maintained innocence in these FIRs, labelling them as a “vendetta by the ruling AAP government to control the cable business” in Punjab. He expressed intentions to approach the high court. Additionally, in November 2021, he underwent income tax and Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids. Following the police raid at Jujhar's residence in December 2023, where he was not found, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia posted on X, “Emergency has been imposed in Punjab. First, Ajit Group, and now all media groups are being harassed. This video is of a police raid at the house of Gurdeep Singh Jujhar, owner of Fastway. Police are targeting media houses to prevent the truth about Bhagwant Mann from reaching the common Punjabis.” SP Singla Constructions Private Limited, led by owner Sat Paul Singla, a civil engineer from Panchkula, Haryana, made headlines when an under-construction bridge, costing Rs 1,710 crore, collapsed twice within 14 months in Bihar's Bhagalpur district. Despite this controversy, the company received recognition for its rail-cum-road bridge across the Ganga, winning the Build India 2024 awards in the railway sector under the impact category. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's longest cable-stayed bridge, spanning 2.32 km between Okha mainland and Beyt Dwarka island in Gujarat, constructed by SP Singla Constructions Private Limited. Singla's journey from humble beginnings, starting with a small bridge over the Yamuna to becoming a leading bridge and construction company, exemplifies his entrepreneurial spirit. The company's clientele includes prestigious organisations such as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, National Highways Authority of India, Border Roads Organisation, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Indian Railways, and public works departments of several states. Vardhman Textiles, headquartered in Ludhiana, purchased bonds worth Rs 25 lakh on April 15, 2019, and Rs 1 crore on May 6, 2019. With a consolidated turnover of Rs 10,137 crore and a net profit of Rs 805 crore, as per the audited results of 2022-23, Vardhman Textiles remains a significant player in the textile industry. Trident Group of Industries, a diversified textile fabric manufacturer with its corporate office in Ludhiana and units in Barnala, Madhya Pradesh, specializes in manufacturing, marketing, and exporting home textiles, yarn, paper, and chemicals. Founded by Ludhiana industrialist Rajinder Gupta, the group faced income tax raids across various locations in the state in October 2023, lasting for five days.
