New Delhi:The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received a hefty amount of Rs 1,917.12 crore out of which more than fifty percent of contributions were received through electoral bonds amounting to Rs 1,033.7 crore in the Financial Year 2021-22. Of the total contribution received, Rs 854.46 crore was spent.
The main opposition party, Congress, secured the second spot as the data published by the Election Commission on its website shows the expenditure at Rs 400.41 crore and receipts of Rs 541.27 crore. It has shown grants, donations, and contributions to the tune of Rs 347.99 crore. In its annual audit report for 2021-22, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has shown receipts of Rs 2.87 crore and expenditure of Rs 1.18 crore. The three political parties are among the eight recognized national outfits. The annual reports were put in the public domain by the Election Commission on Tuesday.
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Electoral bonds allow anonymous donations to political parties, an issue that has often been criticized by experts as per them it may lead to potential abuse of power and create an opaque system of political funding benefiting wealthy donors and thus obstructing the very basics of free and fair elections.
A bench of pleas challenging the electoral bonds scheme has been filed in the Supreme Court by CPI(M), ADR, and other NGOs. They have contended that the scheme would lead to an influx of money from private corporations and there is no transparency in the scheme that could help voters know who paid the political parties.
The Election Commission had also expressed its concerns in the affidavit filed before the top court regarding the scheme. It had said that there is a possibility for shell companies to open up just for the purpose of donating to political parties. When the matter had come up for hearing before the top court seeking a stay ahead of assembly elections, the centre had defended the scheme saying that it would rather bring transparency. The court had then refused to grant the stay. The apex court is expected to hear the pleas by the end of this month.
