BJP Receives Overwhelming Share Of ₹3,811 Crore Electoral Trust Funding

BJP has drawn the bulk of funding routed through electoral trusts in 2024-25, receiving Rs 3,142.65 crore. This forms 82.45% of the Rs 3,811.34 crore that nine trusts passed on to parties, according to contribution reports filed with the Election Commission.

The overall pool handled by electoral trusts in 2024-25 matched on both sides. Trusts collected Rs 3,811.34 crore from corporate and individual donors, and reported donating the same amount to political parties during the financial year.

Electoral trusts and BJP dominance in 2024-25

Prudent Electoral Trust remained the largest channel of such funding in 2024-25. It received Rs 2,668.49 crore and distributed Rs 2,668.46 crore, of which BJP obtained Rs 2,180.71 crore. Progressive Electoral Trust ranked next, raising Rs 915 crore and donating Rs 914.97 crore, including Rs 757.62 crore to BJP.

Congress finished a distant second in inflows from electoral trusts. Reports show Congress received Rs 298.76 crore, equal to 7.83% of the total distributed amount. Progressive Electoral Trust gave Rs 77.34 crore to Congress, while Prudent Electoral Trust transferred another Rs 21.63 crore during the year.

Electoral trusts data for Congress and regional parties

Regional parties also tapped electoral trusts, though in much smaller volumes than BJP. Trinamool Congress obtained Rs 102 crore, while YSR Congress received Rs 98 crore. TDP secured Rs 44 crore, BJD got Rs 15 crore, and both DMK and BRS reported Rs 10 crore each through these channels.

Contribution reports show that 13 of 19 registered electoral trusts have filed details for 2024-25 so far. Four trusts have stated they neither collected funds nor distributed any amount during the fiscal year. The remaining two trusts have yet to submit their reports to the Election Commission.

Electoral trusts receipts and distributions by trust

Electoral trusts are entities created by companies with one specific purpose. They collect political contributions from firms and individuals and then pass these funds to parties. Existing rules require each trust to transfer at least 95% of the contributions it receives within a financial year.

The Election Commission data also lists receipts and payouts trust-wise. The details for 2024-25 are as follows:

The filings underline how electoral trusts continue to channel large sums towards national and regional parties, with BJP receiving a dominant share. The figures for the remaining trusts, once filed, will complete the picture of corporate-linked political funding for 2024-25.