BJP received donations of over Rs 800 crore in 2018-19; Congress Rs. 146 crore

New Delhi: Between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019 – ruling Bharatiya Janata Party received Rs. 800 crore donations, of which the biggest single contribution came from the Tata group arm Progressive Electoral Trust, which was Rs 356 crore. The Progressive Electoral Trust – also the largest donor to the Congress – gave Rs 55 crore to the party as against the Rs 346 crore it gave the BJP.

The Congress raised just Rs 146 crore in 2018-19, as per the data it submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI), reports Economic Times.

Triumph Electoral Trust donated Rs 5 crore to the BJP while Harmony Group sent Rs 10 crore and Janhit Electoral Trust as well as the New Democratic Electoral Trust donated Rs 2.5 crore each to the BJP. Among the big-ticket contributors to the BJP are the Hero group with over Rs 12 crore; ITC with over Rs 23 crore; Nirma with over Rs 5 crore, Pragathi group with Rs 3.25 crore; Micro Labs with Rs 3 crore; BG Shirke Construction Technology with Rs 15 crore and Adi Enterprises with Rs 10 crore. Lodha Developers pitched in well over Rs 4 crore; Modern Road Makers donated Rs 15 crore; JV Holdings gave Rs 5 crore and Soma Distilleries offered Rs 4.25 crore. While the final donation figures received by the BJP are yet to be computed, estimates show it to be nearly Rs 800 crore.

BJP raised Rs 1,027 crore in 2017-18 and spent Rs 758 crore as per its annual audit report. The Congress had only raised Rs 26 crore in 2017-18.