Electoral bond data: Infrastructure, metals and energy dominate donor sectors

Future Gaming, which is the largest contributor to the Trinamool Congress (Rs 542 crore) and the DMK (Rs 503 crore), also funded BJP to the tune of Rs 100 crore.

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The data also showed that the saffron party redeemed bonds worth Rs 375 crore from Qwik Supply Chain Private Limited. The directors in the shareholding companies of Qwik Supply Chain are existing and retired top executives in Reliance Industries Ltd.

The top three donors of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the biggest beneficiary of electoral bonds, include Hyderabad-headquartered Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, Qwik Supply Chain Private Ltd, which is associated with Reliance Industries Ltd, and Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Ltd. Put together, they donated Rs 1,186 crore to the party.

According to data released Wednesday by the Election Commission of India, BJP has redeemed Rs 584 crore from Megha Engineering and its associate company Western UP Power Transmission Company Limited. Megha itself funded BJP to the tune of Rs 449 crore and Western UP Power Transmission gave Rs 80 crore. The group is also the top donor for Congress.

Future Gaming, which is the largest contributor to the Trinamool Congress (Rs 542 crore) and the DMK (Rs 503 crore), also funded BJP to the tune of Rs 100 crore.

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The Enforcement Directorate had initiated a money laundering probe against Future Gaming in early 2019. By July that year, it had attached assets worth over Rs 250 crore belonging to the company. On April 2, 2022, the ED attached movable assets worth Rs 409.92 crore in the case. The BJP encashed the Rs 100 crore from Future Gaming between October 2021 to January 2022.

BJP recipient No. 1, its top 10 donors form 35% of its Rs 6,000-crore electoral bond kitty

Top 10 donors for top 3 parties

BJP has got Rs 227 crore from Vedanta Ltd, a company that figures among the top five donors of the Congress too. ED had claimed that it had evidence related to Vedanta Group’s alleged involvement in the bribe-for-visa case where certain Chinese nationals were given visas by alleged bending of rules. A reference sent by ED to CBI translated into a case of corruption in 2022 following which ED began a money laundering probe.

The data also shows that two big northern India corporate groups — Bharti Airtel Ltd and DLF Commercial donated Rs 197 crore and Rs 130 crore, respectively. Madanlal Ltd, a company belonging to Kolkata’s MKJ Group, donated Rs 176 crore to the BJP.

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Megha Engineering promoted by PP Reddy and PV Krishna Reddy, which is the biggest donor for the BJP, involved in marquee projects such as the Kaleswaram Dam project. It is also building the Zojila tunnel and the Polavaram dam.

Shyamlal Yadav

Shyamlal Yadav is one of the pioneers of the effective use of RTI for investigative reporting. He is a member of the Investigative Team. His reporting on polluted rivers, foreign travel of public servants, MPs appointing relatives as assistants, fake journals, LIC’s lapsed policies, Honorary doctorates conferred to politicians and officials, Bank officials putting their own money into Jan Dhan accounts and more has made a huge impact. He is member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He has been part of global investigations like Paradise Papers, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, Uber Files and Hidden Treasures. After his investigation in March 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York returned 16 antiquities to India. Besides investigative work, he keeps writing on social and political issues. ... Read More

Jay Mazoomdaar

Jay Mazoomdaar is an investigative reporter focused on offshore finance, equitable growth, natural resources management and biodiversity conservation. Over two decades, his work has been recognised by the International Press Institute, the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, the Asian College of Journalism etc. Mazoomdaar’s major investigations include the extirpation of tigers in Sariska, global offshore probes such as Panama Papers, Robert Vadra’s land deals in Rajasthan, India’s dubious forest cover data, Vyapam deaths in Madhya Pradesh, mega projects flouting clearance conditions, Nitin Gadkari’s link to e-rickshaws, India shifting stand on ivory ban to fly in African cheetahs, the loss of indigenous cow breeds, the hydel rush in Arunachal Pradesh, land mafias inside Corbett, the JDY financial inclusion scheme, an iron ore heist in Odisha, highways expansion through the Kanha-Pench landscape etc. ... Read More

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