The latest Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report on political donations has revealed contrasting fundraising patterns among Telugu states’ major regional parties, with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) emerging as the party with the widest donor base, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) reporting the highest donation value, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) witnessing a steep fall in contributions.

According to the ADR analysis of declared donations above ₹20,000 for FY 2024-25, TDP received 267 donations worth ₹83.04 crore, while YSRCP received ₹140.04 crore through just 37 donations. BRS declared only four donations amounting to ₹15.09 crore.

While YSRCP collected the highest amount among the three parties, TDP reported more than seven times the number of contributors, indicating a significantly broader declared donor base.

The report also highlights the changing fortunes of the three parties. TDP’s declared donations fell from ₹100.19 crore in FY 2023-24 to ₹83.04 crore in FY 2024-25, a decline of about 17 percent. YSRCP, despite losing power in Andhra Pradesh after the 2024 Assembly elections, more than doubled its declared donations from ₹62.5 crore to ₹140.04 crore.

BRS recorded the sharpest decline among major regional parties. Its declared donations dropped from ₹85 crore in FY 2023-24 to ₹15.09 crore in FY 2024-25, an 82.25 percent fall. ADR identified BRS as the regional party with the largest absolute decline in donations during the period.

The figures also reveal starkly different fundraising models. While TDP’s collections came from hundreds of declared contributors, ADR noted that YSRCP reported very few donations of sizeable amounts, suggesting that a relatively small number of high-value contributions accounted for most of its collections. BRS similarly reported only four donations during the financial year.

The ADR report analyses only declared donations exceeding ₹20,000 submitted to the Election Commission of India. It does not represent the total funds raised by political parties or smaller contributions below the disclosure threshold.