New Delhi: National parties collected more than Rs 15,077.97 crore from unknown sources between 2004-05 and 2020-21, an analysis by the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) showed.
The total income of national and regional parties from unknown sources for 2020-21 stands at Rs 690.67 crore.
ADR considered eight national parties and 27 regional parties for this analysis.
The national parties comprised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Community Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and National People’s Party (NPEP).
English Analysis of Sources… by The Wire
The regional parties included Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation [CPI(ML)(L)], Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Goa Forward Party (GFP), Janata Dal (Secular), Janata Dal-United (JDU), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Kerla Congress (M) [KCM], Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), Naga People’s Front (NPF), Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Shivsena, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR-Congress Party (YSRCP).
The analysis conducted on the basis of the parties’ Income Tax Returns (ITR) and donations statements filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) found that between FY 2004-05 and 2020-21, the national parties have collected Rs 15,077.97 crore from unknown sources.
“For FY 2020-21, eight national political parties have declared Rs 426.74 crore income from unknown sources and 27 regional parties received Rs 263.928 crore income from unknown sources,” it said.
During FY 2020-21, Congress declared Rs 178.782 crore as income from unknown sources which is 41.89% of the total income of national parties from unknown sources (Rs 426.742 crore),” the analysis said.
BJP declared Rs 100.502 crore as income from unknown sources which is 23.55% of the total income of national parties from unknown sources.
The top five regional parties in terms of unknown income are YSR-Congress with Rs 96.2507 crore, DMK with Rs 80.02 crore, BJD with Rs 67 crore, MNS with Rs 5.773 crore and AAP with Rs 5.4 crore.
47.06% of the total Rs 690.67 crore account for the income from electoral bonds.
The ADR said the combined income of Congress and NCP from the sale of coupons between FY 2004-05 and 2020-21 stands at Rs 4,261.83 crore.
There are reporting discrepancies in the audit and contribution reports of seven political parties for FY 2020-21. These seven parties include AITC, CPI, AAP, SAD, KC-M, AIFB and AIUDF.
In most cases, the share of donations above Rs 20, 000 declared by parties in their contribution reports does not match such income shown in their audit reports. This makes it difficult to arrive at an accurate figure of their income coming from unknown sources, the ADR said.
“At present, political parties are not required to reveal the name of individuals or organisations giving less than Rs. 20,000 nor those who donated via electoral bonds. As a result, more than 36% of the funds cannot be traced and are from ‘unknown’ sources. While the National and Regional Political Parties were brought under the RTI Act by the CIC ruling in June 2013, they have still not complied with the decision. Full transparency is, unfortunately, not possible under the current laws, and it is only the RTI that can keep citizens informed,” the ADR report added.
(With PTI inputs)