The corporate world has donated to all the major parties and the BJP received the highest amount, Rs 297 crore, during 2007-08 and 2008-09, according to data obtained by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

“Bharti Electoral Trust has contributed Rs 17 crore to the parties, which is the highest amount by any of the corporate houses. In total they have made five contributions - three to BJP and two to INC (Congress),” ADR said in its latest report. 

The highest contribution to the BJP was from Aditya Birla Group's General Electoral Trust, which gave Rs 6.51 crore while Torrent Power made contribution to the Congress (Rs 4.5 crore) and the NCP (Rs 1 crore), the report mentioned.

BSP, which is ruling in only one state, was the second after the BJP in getting corporate funds. It received Rs 202 crores while the Congress received Rs 72 crore. BSP, however, maintained that it did not receive a single voluntary contribution in excess of Rs 20,000.

NCP claimed that Rs 6 crore or 10 percent of the total income of Rs 57 crore was drawn from donations. The highest contribution to the NCP came from Videocon Industries Ltd (Rs 1 crore).

Other parties like BJP, BSP and SP have declared that contributions constitute over 45 percent of their total income.

According to the report, “CPM and SP declared that it received only two percent and one percent each of the total contributions/donations in sums greater than Rs 20,000 i.e. around Rs 1 crore out of Rs 55 crore and Rs 51 lakh out of Rs 46 crore (respectively)."

Most financial contributions were made through cheques but a few contributed in cash too. “In order to bring about this transparency the contribution reports submitted by the political parties along with their income tax returns should be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG),” the ADR said.

Read the report.