Electoral Bonds Data Out At least one veil of secrecy over political funding in India lifted days before the notification of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Pushed and prodded by the Supreme Court which struck down the electoral bonds scheme, the Election Commission of India finally released the list of those who purchased bonds. According to data uploaded on the Election Commission website, Santiago Martin of Future Gaming and Hotel Services purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore between April 2019 and January 2024. We take a look at who he is and how his company turned out to be the largest donor. Three of the top five poll bond donors to political parties between 2019 and 2024 are companies which have bought bonds even as they face Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax probes. We break down when and why these companies came under the lens of the central probe agencies. Reacting to the data, former Chief Election Commissioner of India S Y Quraishi writes: “The issue is of great significance as it directly relates to the core element of elections, namely political financing, which profoundly influences the character and integrity of our democracy… While the post-mortem of the bonds goes on, let the debate now shift to the way forward.” Only In Express In today’s Best of Both Sides column, we argue about the CBSE’s recently introduced open book examination system. Radhey Shyam Sharma writes: “The introduction of OBE is a departure from tradition, transforming educators into facilitators of inquiry and champions of a lifelong learning ethos. OBE promises a revolution in education that prepares students not just for the challenges of today but for the opportunities of tomorrow.” On the other hand, Amit Kaushik argues: “It is worth recalling that CBSE had introduced OBEs in 2013-14, but they were eventually withdrawn based on feedback from parents and teachers. This format will only work if students are encouraged to apply their knowledge, not focus on rote learning.” From the Front Page As the first step to holding simultaneous elections in the country, the high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind has recommended that the government take a “one-time transitory measure”, which would require the Union government to identify an “appointed date” immediately after a Lok Sabha election and all state assemblies that go to poll after the said date would have their terms expire with the Parliament. Both Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar, the two Election Commissioners appointed by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are retired 1988-batch officers of the Indian Administrative Service and belonged to the Uttarakhand and Kerala cadres, respectively. We take a look at who they are. Must Read Of Rs 12,769 crore worth electoral bonds encashed by the political parties in the last five years, ruling BJP bagged almost half, and one-third of this came during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In fact, the party has encashed electoral bonds worth Rs.202 crore in January this year, ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. In this edition of IE-Thinc held in partnership with Omidyar Network India, experts talk about the changing definitions of what constitutes urban India, the growing traffic problem in Bengaluru, new ways to look at urban infrastructure and cluster-based planning of cities. And Finally… Mumbai’s 42nd Ranji Trophy title was not made in a day. It was the result of meticulous planning, strategizing and hard work over the last ten months. From 46 review meetings and a pre-season residential camp in Alur near Bangalore to dance and songs competitions and storytelling exercises before the final against Vidarbha, the journey was mixed with fun, sweat and brainstorming, with heroes sprouting in every step. We take a look. Keeping up with his newfound passion for writing, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya released his second book on Jan Aushadhi. He presented a copy of the book — Jan Aushadhi Ka Agradoot — to President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday. But that is not all. Mandaviya has already started work on his third book. Don’t miss today’s Delhi Confidential for more! In the latest edition of our ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss six years of India’s flagship health insurance scheme – the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Until tomorrow, Ayesha Jain and Rounak Bagchi
