The Election Commission on Thursday made the data on electoral bonds public. Following a Supreme Court directive, the State Bank of India had shared the data with the poll panel on March 12. The top court had given the Election Commission time till 5 pm of March 15 to upload the data on its website.
The Election Commission has put the details on 'Disclosure of Electoral Bonds submitted by SBI' in two parts. The parties that redeemed electoral bonds include the BJP, Congress, AIADMK, BRS, Shiv Sena, TDP, YSR Congress, DMK, JDS, NCP, Trinamool Congress, JDU, RJD, AAP, and the Samajwadi Party, according to the data.
According to the data, the Bharatiya Janata Party received funding of over Rs 6060.5 crore via electoral bonds, the highest amount among all political parties, between April 12, 2019, and January 24, 2024. The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) received Rs 1,609.50 crore through this channel, making it the second-highest recipient, followed by the Congress with Rs 1,421.9 crore.
Electoral bonds to political parties:
| POLITICAL PARTY | ELECTORAL BONDS (IN CRORE) |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | Rs 6060.50 |
| Trinamool Congress | Rs 1609.50 |
| Congress | Rs 1421.90 |
| Bharat Rashtra Samiti | Rs 1214.70 |
| DMK | Rs 639 |
| YSR Congress | Rs 337 |
| TDP | Rs 218.90 |
| Shiv Sena | Rs 159.40 |
| Rashtriya Janata Dal | Rs 72.50 |
| Aam Aadmi Party | Rs 65.50 |
| Janata Dal-Secular | Rs 43.50 |
| Sikkim Krantikari Morcha | Rs 36.50 |
| Nationalist Congress Party | Rs 30.50 |
| Jana Sena Party | Rs 21 |
| Samajwadi Party | Rs 14.10 |
| Janata Dal (United) | Rs 14 |
| Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | Rs 13.50 |
| Shiromani Akali Dal | Rs 7.30 |
| AIADMK | Rs 6.10 |
| Sikkim Democratic Front | Rs 5.50 |
| Maharashtra Gomantak Party | Rs 0.60 |
| National Conference | Rs 0.50 |
DONORS TO POLITICAL PARTIES
Prominent figures such as steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal's Airtel, Anil Agarwal's Vedanta, ITC, Mahindra and Mahindra, along with a lesser-known entity, Future Gaming and Hotel Services, were among the notable purchasers of electoral bonds, which have now been discontinued for political donations.
Future Gaming, previously under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate in March 2022, procured electoral bonds worth over Rs 1,350 crore through two separate sets of companies. Among established corporations, Vedanta Ltd, led by Anil Agarwal, acquired electoral bonds worth Rs 398 crore, while Sunil Mittal's three companies collectively bought bonds valued at Rs 246 crore.
According to an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court by the State Bank of India (SBI), a total of 22,217 electoral bonds of various denominations were purchased by donors between April 1, 2019, and February 15 of the current year. Out of these, 22,030 bonds were redeemed by political parties.
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