Our Reporter
Dimapur, Jan. 15 (EMN): According to an analysis of income and expenditure of national political parties for the year 2018-19 by Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has shown highest income with INR 2410.08 crore but spent only INR 1005.33 crore ((41.71%) of the total income during the period.
According to the election watchdog, Indian National Congress (INC) declared a total income of INR 918.03 crore, of which INR 469.92 crore (51.19%) was spent.
The analysis informed that “the total Income of the national parties, less Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has been compiled from the income from various sources pan India, as submitted in their income tax returns.”
Six national parties namely BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) have declared a total income of INR 3,698.66 crore, collected from all over India, it stated.
The ADR analysis informed that national parties have declared donations and contributions as one of their main sources of income.
According to other reports, the maximum expenditure for BJP has been towards election/ general propaganda, which amounted to INR 792.39 crore, followed by expenses towards administrative costs at INR 178.35 crore.
Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Bahujan Samaj Party submitted their audit reports on time while BJP submitted after 24 days; Congress and CPI submitted after 42 days, while the audit report of Nationalist Congress Party is still not available in public domain, 76 days since the due date for submission.
Trinamool’s total income was INR 192.65 crore, of which the party spent INR 11.50 crore (5.97%) while CPI-M declared a total income of INR 100.96 crore and spent INR 76.15 crore (75.43%).
The income of INC increased by 360.97 per cent (INR 718.88 crore), from INR 199.15 crore in 2017-18 to INR 918.03 crore in 2018-19.
In its observations, the ADR stated that some of the national parties have expressed great concern and have been highly critical of the electoral bonds scheme, 2018. They criticised the scheme at every public debate possible and one national party has even filed a PIL against the scheme. However, it is ironic that these same parties continue to accept donations via electoral bonds, it said.
As per the data shared by SBI in response to ADR’s RTI application, parties redeemed electoral bonds worth INR 2,539.58 crore in 2018-19. Of this, six national parties received 76%. The total amount of electoral bonds declared by national and regional parties in 2018-19 is INR 2,422.02 crore.
