New Delhi: The BJP received Rs 356 crore in donation from an electoral trust contributed by the Tatas during 2018-19, according to documents submitted October 31 by the ruling party before the Election Commission (EC).
In the document the BJP said it received over Rs 700 crore in donations through cheques and online payments. Half of the contributions were from Tata-contributed ‘Progress Electoral Turst’.
The ‘Progressive Electoral Trust’ gave Rs 356 crore in donation, while Prudent Electoral Trust – India’s richest trust — gave Rs 54.25 crore, according to information the BJP provided to the Election Commission.
Prudent Trust is backed by top corporate houses including Bharti Group, Hero MoroCorp, Jubilant Foodworks, Orient Cement, DLF, JK Tyres, among others.
The information provided pertains to donations of Rs 20,000 and above that was received by the party through cheque or online payments. However, donations received in form of electoral bonds were not included in the filing.
The BJP said it received donations from individuals, companies as well as electoral trusts. As per the election code, political parties are mandated to disclose all donations they receive in a financial year.
PTI
