The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) record has revealed that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of Odisha is the second wealthiest regional political party in India, with the DMK being the richest in the nation.
According to the ADR report, the overall income of regional parties in India earned Rs 1213.132 crore for the 2021-22 Financial Year. The DMK was the top earner, with an income of Rs 318.745 crore, accounting for 26.25% of the total income. This was followed by the BJD, with an income of Rs 307.288 crore, making up 25.33% of the total income. The TRS earned Rs 218.112 crore or 17.98% of the total income.
Out of the 36 political parties whose financial data is available for both years, 20 saw an increase in their income from FY 2020-21 to FY 2021-22, while 15 experienced a decrease in income during this period.
For the 2021-22 fiscal year, 21 regional parties reported that they had not used all of their income, while 15 political parties spent more than their income. According to the report, the DMK had the most amount of its income left unspent, amounting to Rs 283.344 crore, followed by BJD and TRS with Rs 278.658 crore and Rs 190.173 crore, respectively.
Electoral Bonds have emerged as the most popular mode of donation to regional political parties for FY 2021-22, with over 70.30% of their total income (Rs 852.88 crore) coming from this source. Election expenses/general propaganda and administrative/general expenses were the most common expenses for these political parties. The anonymity provided by the scheme has made it highly attractive to donors.
As per the information provided by the State Bank of India (SBI) in response to an RTI application filed by the ADR, Electoral Bonds worth a total of Rs 2673.0525 crore were redeemed by political parties in the Financial Year 2021-22. Of this amount, 67.79 was redeemed by National Parties, while Regional Parties redeemed 31.91%.
Furthermore, only four National Parties (BJP, INC, NCP, and AITC) received funds from Donations through Electoral Bonds for the FY 2021-22, wherein the identity of the donor is not revealed to the public.
