About 55% of the funds acquired by regional parties in the fiscal year 2020 came from unknown sources, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms. The term ‘income from unknown sources’ applies to donations that lack donor details, which can include contributions made via electoral bonds, sale of coupons, miscellaneous income, and voluntary donations. Conversely, contributions with known donor information submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) represented only 23% of total funds garnered by these parties. The remaining 22% was sourced from known categories such as movable and immovable assets, membership fees, and interest from bank deposits.
Five major parties—Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)—received the majority of their funding from unknown sources, primarily through electoral bonds.
Unknown Donors
A chart illustrates the income sources for select regional parties in FY20, revealing that the total income among these parties was ₹803.24 crore, with 55% stemming from unknown sources.
Party-wise Share
The data further details the total income of specific regional parties, highlighting that five of them—TRS, TDP, YSRCP, DMK, and BJD—each received over ₹60 crore, with more than 50% from unknown sources. The AIADMK also reported close to ₹90 crore in total income, yet its share of unknown-source income was below 10%.
Bonds, Electoral Bonds
Analysis of the funding routes shows that nearly 96% of the income from unknown sources was obtained via electoral bonds. Other channels, such as voluntary contributions and coupon sales, contributed only about 4%.
Absence of Information
Some regional parties have not provided complete income details to the ECI. Fourteen parties reported their total income but did not disclose information about known sources. These include Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), AJSU Party, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, All India Forward Bloc, Kerala Congress (M), People’s Democratic Alliance, and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party.
Additionally, two parties—Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Jammu and Kashmir National Conference—offered known-source income details but did not disclose total income figures. For nine other parties, neither total income nor details about known sources were available. These parties include the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Bodoland People’s Front, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, and People’s Democratic Front.
Source: Association for Democratic Reforms
Also read: Data | How election fund was spent during 2021 State polls
