By Smritika Banerjee
As per the contribution reports submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came out as the chief recipient of corporate contributions in the financial year 2024-25, receiving nearly 83% of the total disbursed funds from the Tata Group-controlled Progressive Electoral Trust (PET). The trust allocated a total of Rs 915 crore, out of which BJP obtained Rs 757.6 crore. This highlighted the continued dominance of the ruling party in political funding even after the Supreme Court abolished the Electoral bond scheme in February 2024.
This huge influx of funding indicates that the termination of Electoral Bonds has not stopped the concentration of corporate donations in favour of the current government. A small part was received by the Indian National Congress (INC), which was approximately Rs.77.3 crore, or roughly 8.4% of the total amount paid out by the trust.
Among the prime contributors were key Group companies such as Tata Sons Pvt Ltd (Rs 308 crore), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (Rs 217.6 crore), and Tata Steel (Rs 173 crore). Smaller amounts were also allocated to regional parties, including Rs.10 crore each to the Trinamool Congress, YSR Congress Party, Shiv Sena, and Bharat Samithi.
The reflection of skewed corporate support is seen across other electoral trusts as well. The New Democratic Electoral Trust, backed by Mahindra Group, directed Rs 150 crore out of Rs160 crore total funds exclusively to the BJP. This showcased a wider trend of trust towards the ruling party. The transparency provided by ECI filings is a positive step but the huge concentration of corporate donations continues to raise concerns about the balance and fairness of political financing in the country.