Electoral Bonds: Top 10 Companies Unveiled as Major Donors; Breakdown of Contributions to Political Parties

In compliance with a Supreme Court directive, the State Bank of India has disclosed all electoral bond-related information. The Election Commission of India has also released a corresponding list. Recent data reveals that 487 contributors have contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) via electoral bonds, amounting to a total of Rs 6,060 crore. Among these contributions, the top 10 donors have collectively given Rs 2,119 crore, comprising 35% of the BJP's total electoral bond donations.

Future Gaming & Hotel Services Ltd. emerged as the top purchaser of electoral bonds, acquiring bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore. As reported by The Indian Express, the company contributed Rs 100 crore to the BJP. Additionally, donations were extended to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the DMK. Future Gaming Company allocated Rs 542 crore to the Trinamool Congress and Rs 503 crore to the DMK, as disclosed.

Megha Engineering and Infra holds the second position in the top 10 list of electoral bond donors. The company, which purchased electoral bonds amounting to Rs 1,192 crore, contributed to both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. Specifically, Megha Engineering and Infra donated Rs 110 crore to the Congress and nearly five times that amount to the BJP. The BJP received the highest donation from the Megha Group, totaling Rs 584 crore.

MKJ Group (MKJ) holds the third position in the list of companies contributing the most through electoral bonds. Headquartered in Kolkata, the company purchased bonds amounting to Rs 617 crore. Notably, a significant portion of this sum, Rs 372 crore, was allocated to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Additionally, Rs 161 crore was contributed to the Congress, while Rs 47 crore was donated to the Trinamool Congress.

Ranked fourth among the top 10 companies, RPSG Group demonstrates significant electoral bond contributions. Eight companies within the group collectively purchased bonds amounting to Rs 584 crore. Notably, Haldia Energy acquired bonds worth Rs 377 crore, Dhariwal Infrastructure Rs 115 crore, Philips Carbon Rs 35 crore, and Crescent Power Rs 34 crore, summing up to Rs 561 crore. From this collective purchase, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) received the highest share, amounting to Rs 419 crore, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Rs 126 crore, and the Congress with Rs 15 crore.

The Aditya Birla Group emerges as the fifth-largest donor on the list, contributing a substantial sum of Rs 553 crore. Within the group, the top three companies collectively purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 475 crore. Notably, Essel Mining acquired bonds worth Rs 225 crore, Utkal Alumina International contributed Rs 145 crore, and Birla Carbon allocated Rs 105 crore towards electoral bonds.

RPSG Group made significant contributions through the purchase of electoral bonds, totaling Rs 553 crore. Among these contributions, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) received Rs 245 crore, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received Rs 230 crore. Notably, the three major donor companies within the RPSG Group collectively purchased bonds worth Rs 475 crore. Specifically, Essel Mining acquired electoral bonds worth Rs 225 crore, Utkal Alumina International purchased bonds worth Rs 145 crore, and Birla Carbon contributed Rs 105 crore towards electoral bonds.

Following Quick Supply Chain Private Limited, the next significant contributors are Vedanta and Bharati Group. Vedanta, a prominent conglomerate, contributed a substantial sum to electoral bonds. Additionally, Bharati Group, another major player, made significant donations through this mechanism.

Vedanta Ltd secures the seventh position among the highest buyers of electoral bonds, holding bonds worth Rs 401 crore. Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the primary beneficiary, receiving Rs 227 crore, followed by the Congress with Rs 104 crore and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) with Rs 40 crore. On the other hand, four companies within the Bharti Group collectively purchased bonds worth Rs 247 crore, with the BJP receiving the majority share of Rs 197 crore. Furthermore, Bharti Airtel Limited, a prominent entity within the group, contributed Rs 183 crore towards electoral bonds.

In addition to the contributions from Vedanta and Bharati Group, significant donations were also made by the Jindal and Torrent Group. Four companies affiliated with the Jindal Group collectively donated bonds amounting to Rs 192 crore. Among these, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) received the highest sum of Rs 100 crore, followed by the Congress with Rs 20 crore and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Rs 2 crore. Notably, a substantial portion of these donations came from Jindal Steel and Power, which contributed a remarkable Rs 123 crore.

Ahmedabad-based Torrent Group secures the tenth position among the top 10 companies on the list. Three companies within the group collectively donated bonds worth Rs 184 crore. Among these contributions, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received Rs 107 crore, followed by the Congress with Rs 17 crore, and the Aam Aadmi Party with Rs 7 crore. Notably, Torrent Power Ltd emerged as the primary buyer of bonds within the group, purchasing bonds worth Rs 107 crore.