BJP reports highest income of Rs 4,340.47 cr in 2023-24

The Bharatiya Janata Party reported the highest income among national parties in the financial year 2023-24, declaring total earnings of Rs 4,340.47 crore, according to poll rights body ADR.

IMAGE: BJP supporters burst firecrackers and wave the party's flag after Delhi assembly election victory. Photograph: Ritik Jain/ANI Photo

The amount accounted for 74.57 per cent of the total income of six national parties during the period under review, the report by Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) said.

"The BJP declared a total income of Rs 4,340.473 crore during FY 2023-24 but spent only 50.96 per cent of it, amounting to Rs 2,211.69 crore. The total income of Congress was Rs 1,225.12 crore, while its expenditure for the year was Rs 1,025.25 crore or 83.69 per cent of its total income," the report said.

A large portion of the income for national parties came from donations through electoral bonds.

While the BJP received the highest amount, securing Rs 1,685.63 crore, the Congress received Rs 828.36 crore, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rs 10.15 crore.

Collectively, these three parties raised Rs 2,524.1361 crore -- ?43.36 per cent of their total income -- through the electoral bond scheme, which the Supreme Court struck down as "unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary" in May last year.

As per the data shared by the State Bank of India in response to an RTI application filed by the ADR, Rs 4,507.56 crore worth of electoral bonds were redeemed by various political parties in the 2023-24 fiscal. The national parties accounted for 55.99 per cent -- Rs 2,524.1361 crore -- of this amount.

The report said the maximum expenditure by the Congress was made towards election-related expenses, amounting to Rs 619.67 crore, followed by Rs 340.702 crore spent on administrative and general expenses.

In comparison, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) spent Rs 56.29 crore on administrative and general expenses and Rs 47.57 crore on employee costs.

Among the national parties, six declared receiving a total of Rs 2,669.87 crore from donations and contributions.

The report also noted that out of these six parties, only Congress (Rs 58.56 crore) and CPI(M) (Rs 11.32 crore) declared receiving a total income of Rs 69.88 crore from the sale of coupons.

The audit reports of CPI(M), Congress and BJP were submitted with delays ranging from 12 to 66 days.

The most common expenditure among national parties was on elections and administrative expenses, the report said.