After scrapping of poll bonds, corporate trust donations to parties tripled to Rs 3,811 cr
BJP receives 82% of total Rs 3,811 crore in 2024-25, Congress less than 8%, others about 10%; 13 electoral trusts submit contribution reports to EC
Nine trusts declared a total contribution to parties of Rs 3,811 crore - an increase of over 200% from the Rs 1,218 crore total contributions by trusts in 2023-2024. 
IN THE first financial year after the Supreme Court scrapped the government’s anonymous political funding scheme through electoral bonds, nine electoral trusts donated a total of Rs 3,811 crore to political parties in 2024-2025. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party ruling at the Centre, received Rs 3,112 crore, or more than four-fifth (82 per cent) of the total funds donated by trusts.
According to the contribution reports submitted by the different trusts to the Election Commission of India, just under 8 per cent of their donations or Rs 299 crore went to the Congress. All other parties put together receive the balance 10 per cent or Rs 400 crore.
The total donations received by political parties are higher than this since funding through electoral trusts is just one of the channels, although a major one.
As of Saturday, December 20, contribution reports of 13 electoral trusts of the 19 currently registered, were available with the Election Commission. Nine trusts declared a total contribution to parties of Rs 3,811 crore – an increase of over 200% from the Rs 1,218 crore total contributions by trusts in 2023-2024. Four trusts (Janhit, Paribartan, Jaihind and Jaybharath) declared nil contributions in 2024-2025.
Prudent Electoral Trust donated to the Congress, TMC, AAP, TDP and other parties, however, a bulk or almost 82 per cent of its total donations of Rs 2,668 crore in 2024-2025 went to the BJP.
Prudent Electoral Trust emerged as a major donor to the BJP, with a total of Rs 2,180.07 crore. The trust received funds from Jindal Steel and Power, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, Bharti Airtel, Aurobindo Pharma, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, to name a few.
In the previous financial year i.e. 2023-24, the BJP had received Rs 3,967.14 crore in voluntary contributions, of which 43 per cent or Rs 1,685.62 crore were from electoral bonds. The Supreme Court had scrapped the electoral bond scheme in 2024, after finding it unconstitutional. As of now, corporates can donate through cheque, DD, UPI bank transfers to parties. Parties have to declare the donations in their contribution reports and annual audit reports to the poll panel.
The electoral trust route allows companies and individuals to donate to a trust, which further donates to parties. Prudent Electoral Trust donated to the Congress, TMC, AAP, TDP and other parties, however, a bulk or almost 82 per cent of its total donations of Rs 2,668 crore in 2024-2025 went to the BJP.
Progressive Electoral Trust accumulated a corpus of Rs 917 crore through contributions from several companies during the financial year 2024-25. Of this, it donated Rs 914.97 crore. Four-fifths or 80.82 per cent of the entire donation went to the BJP. The main contributors to Progressive Electoral Trust were Tata group companies including Tata Sons Private Limited, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Steels Limited, Tata Motors Limited, Tata Power Company Limited.
Funding of political parties through electoral trusts is just one channel, although a major one. Unlike electoral bonds, the contributions by companies to the electoral trusts and subsequently the donations to political parties through trusts is transparent.
KEC lnternational Limited, based in Mumbai, was the sole firm to donate to the Janpragati Electoral Trust. Of a total Rs 1.02 crore received, the trust donated Rs 1 crore to Shiv Sena (UBT).
Harmony Electoral Trust received Rs 35.65 crore in donations and contributed Rs 30.15 crore to the BJP, including Rs 15 lakh to the BJP’s Pune unit. The major chunk of Harmony’s donations, Rs 22 crore, came from Bharat Forge Ltd; Rs 8 crore from Saarloha Advanced Materials Private Ltd and Rs 5 crore from Kalyani Steel Ltd.
Jankalyan’s entire contribution of Rs 19 lakh came from Forever Business Solutions; it gave Rs 9.5 lakh each to both the BJP and Congress. New Democratic Electoral Trust’s total Rs 160 crore donations came from Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Tech Mahindra Limited, Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services Limited; as much as Rs 150 crore from this trust was given to the BJP.
Triumph Electoral Trust, which got a total of 25 crore, gave R 21 crore to the BJP. Its largest contributor was CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited (Rs 20 crore).
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