February 17, 2025: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been revealed as the wealthiest political party in India, with a total income of Rs 4,340.47 crore for the financial year 2023-24. According to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), the BJP's earnings make up a staggering 74.57 percent of the total income generated by the six national parties during the same period.

The report highlights that while the BJP earned Rs 4,340.47 crore, it spent only 50.96 percent of that amount, equaling Rs 2,211.69 crore. In contrast, the Indian National Congress (INC) declared earnings of Rs 1,225.12 crore, with 83.69 percent of it, or Rs 1,025.25 crore, being spent during the fiscal year.

A significant portion of these earnings for national parties came from electoral bonds, with the BJP securing the largest share at Rs 1,685.63 crore. The Congress received Rs 828.36 crore, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised Rs 10.15 crore. Together, these three parties raised Rs 2,524.14 crore, which accounts for 43.36 percent of their total income.

The electoral bond scheme, which the Supreme Court struck down as "unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary" in May 2024, was responsible for the bulk of the donations. In total, political parties redeemed Rs 4,507.56 crore worth of electoral bonds in the 2023-24 fiscal year, with national parties receiving 55.99 percent of that sum.

The report also notes the Congress's significant election-related expenditure, which amounted to Rs 619.67 crore, with an additional Rs 340.70 crore spent on administrative and general expenses. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) spent Rs 56.29 crore on administrative expenses and Rs 47.57 crore on employee costs.

Overall, the six national parties collectively declared receiving Rs 2,669.87 crore from donations and contributions. Only the Congress and CPI(M) disclosed income from the sale of party coupons, with the Congress reporting Rs 58.56 crore and CPI(M) Rs 11.32 crore.

Delays were noted in the submission of audit reports, with the BJP, Congress, and CPI(M) all submitting their reports later than the designated deadline, ranging from 12 to 66 days.

The ADR report concludes that election-related and administrative expenses were the most common costs across the national parties during the year.