The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed that the Bharatiya Janata Party received more than ten times the total donations declared by five other national parties combined during the financial year 2024 to 2025.
According to the report, the BJP declared ₹6,074.015 crore from 5,522 donations, while the combined total of the Indian National Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and National People’s Party stood at ₹574.54 crore.
The Bahujan Samaj Party stated that it did not receive any donations above ₹20,000 during the same period, continuing its practice for the past 19 years.
Corporate Donations Dominate Funding
ADR said corporate contributions made up a large share of political funding. “Donations from corporates formed 94.13 percent of total donations declared by the BJP,” the report stated.
For the Congress, 112 corporate donations amounted to ₹383.86 crore, while 2,357 individual donors contributed ₹132.38 crore. Corporate funding accounted for 74.1 percent of the Congress’s total declared donations.
Overall, more than 92 percent of donations to national parties came from corporate or business sectors, while individual contributions accounted for a much smaller share.
Top Donors and Funding Sources
Among major contributors, Prudent Electoral Trust donated ₹2,180.71 crore to the BJP, ₹216.33 crore to the Congress, and ₹16.41 crore to AAP.
Other contributions included ₹1 crore from Kalyan Jewellers India Limited to the CPI(M) and ₹35 lakh from Meghalaya Cement Limited to the National People’s Party.
ADR noted that political parties are not required to disclose the source of donations below ₹20,000, raising concerns over transparency.
Sharp Rise in Donations Compared to Previous Year
The report highlighted a significant increase in political funding. Total donations declared by national parties rose to ₹6,648.563 crore in 2024–25, marking a 161 percent increase compared to the previous financial year.
Donations to the BJP increased by 171 percent from ₹2,243.947 crore in 2023–24, while the Congress saw an 84 percent rise from ₹281.48 crore to ₹517.394 crore.
The AAP and NPEP also recorded increases in their funding, though their totals remained much lower in comparison.
State Wise Contribution Trends
Delhi accounted for the highest share of donations at ₹2,639.481 crore, followed by Maharashtra with ₹2,438.86 crore and Gujarat with ₹309.177 crore.
