The significance of corporate funding in Indian politics continues to grow. According to the recently published Electoral Trusts report 2024-25, the Tata Group-controlled Progressive Electoral Trust (PET) donated approximately 83% of the total ₹915 crore in political contributions during 2024-25 to the BJP, while the Congress received only 8.4%.
New Delhi: Out of the ₹915 crore in political donations made through the Tata Group-controlled Progressive Electoral Trust (PET) in 2024-25, approximately 83% was received by the BJP, while the Congress received only 8.4%. According to the latest report on Electoral Trusts available on the Election Commission's website, the BJP's funding was not significantly impacted despite the Supreme Court discontinuing Electoral Bonds in February 2024.
The party received ₹757.6 crore from the Progressive Electoral Trust, ₹150 crore from the New Democratic Trust, ₹30.1 crore from the Harmony Trust, ₹21 crore from the Triumph Trust, ₹9.5 lakh from the Jan Kalyan Trust, and ₹7.75 lakh from the Ainzigartig Trust.
BJP Received the Most Funding
Similar to the previous year, the BJP received the most funding from PET and other trusts this year. The breakdown of the total amount is as follows:
- Progressive Electoral Trust (PET) – ₹757.6 crore
- New Democratic Trust – ₹150 crore
- Harmony Trust – ₹30.1 crore
- Triumph Trust – ₹21 crore
- Jan Kalyan Trust – ₹9.5 lakh
- Ainzigartig Trust – ₹7.75 lakh
Furthermore, records from previous years indicate that the BJP has received over ₹2,400 crore through electoral trusts and bonds. During the 2018-19 Lok Sabha elections, PET donated a total of ₹454 crore to three parties, of which ₹356 crore went to the BJP.
Amount Received by Congress
In 2024-25, the Congress received ₹77.3 crore from PET, ₹5 crore from the New Democratic Trust, and ₹9.5 lakh from the Jan Kalyan Trust. Additionally, Prudent Electoral Trust contributed ₹216.33 crore and AB General Trust contributed ₹15 crore to the Congress. Overall, the contributions received by Congress from trusts this year were substantial, but less than previous funding, such as the ₹828 crore received from Electoral Bonds in 2023-24.
Decline in Funding for Regional Parties
PET's funding for regional parties was also limited this year. Trinamool Congress, YSR Congress, Shiv Sena, BJD, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, JDU, DMK, and LJP-Ramvilas each received a contribution of approximately ₹10 crore. A decline in funding was observed for several parties compared to last year, with TMC, BJD, and BRS recording the largest drops in income.
A significant portion of the donations received by PET was provided by Tata Group companies. These include: Tata Sons, TCS, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Communications, Tata Consumer Products, Tata Elxsi, and Tata AutoComp. The New Democratic Trust, supported by the Mahindra Group, also allocated most of its total funds to the BJP. Furthermore, Triumph, Harmony, and Jan Pragati Trusts distributed funding to the BJP and some regional parties.
