BJP got Rs 6,986 cr through poll bonds

New Delhi: Top purchaser of electoral bonds Future Gaming and Hotel Services donated Rs 509 crore to Tamil Nadu’s ruling party DMK through the now scrapped payment mode, the Election Commission data showed on Sunday.

The BJP received the maximum funds through these bonds at Rs 6,986.5 crore since they were introduced in 2018, followed by West Bengal’s ruling party Trinamool Congress (Rs 1,397 crore), Congress (Rs 1,334 crore) and BRS (Rs 1,322 crore). Odisha’s ruling party BJD was the fourth largest recipient at Rs 944.5 crore followed by DMK at Rs 656.5 crore and Andhra Pradesh’s ruling party YSR Congress redeemed bonds worth nearly Rs 442.8 crore.

The JD(S) received bonds worth Rs 89.75 crore, including Rs 50 crore from Megha Engineering, the second largest purchaser of electoral bonds. Future Gaming of lottery king Santiago Martin was the biggest purchaser of electoral bonds at Rs 1,368 crore, of which nearly 37 per cent went to the DMK. Other major donors of the DMK included Megha Engineering Rs 105 crore, India Cements Rs 14 crore and Sun TV Rs 100 crore.

The TMC received Rs 1,397 crore through electoral bonds, second largest recipient after the BJP. The DMK was among the few political parties to disclose the identity of the donors, while major parties such as the BJP, Congress, TMC and AAP did not disclose these details to the Election Commission, which has now made public those filing as per a Supreme Court order.