BJP Receives 83% of Tata Group-Backed Electoral Trust Funding During 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

The trust allocated Rs 914 crore across 10 political parties during the 2024-25 period.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha election year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the primary recipient of funds from the Tata Group-backed Progressive Electoral Trust (PET), securing Rs 757 crore, which represents approximately 83% of the trust's total distributions.

Based on documentation submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the trust dispersed Rs 914 crore to 10 political organizations in 2024-25. The Congress party received Rs 77.3 crore, constituting just 8.4% of PET's overall political funding.

In addition to the BJP and Congress, PET allocated Rs 10 crore each to several parties including Trinamool Congress (TMC), YSR Congress Party, Shiv Sena, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Janata Dal (United), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Funds Sourced From 15 Tata Group Companies

Progressive Electoral Trust's financial pool of Rs 915 crore in 2024-25 came exclusively from 15 companies within the Tata Group.

Major contributors included Tata Sons providing Rs 308 crore, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) contributing Rs 217 crore, and Tata Steel donating Rs 173 crore. Additional contributions were made by Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Consumer Products, Tata Elxsi, Tata AutoComp, Tata Communications, and other affiliated companies.

Congress Received Over Rs 313 Crore Through Trust Route

In its annual contribution report submitted to the ECI, the Congress party declared receiving Rs 517.37 crore in donations exceeding Rs 20,000 during 2024-25.

Of this total, Prudent Electoral Trust contributed Rs 216.33 crore, AB General Electoral Trust provided Rs 15 crore, New Democratic Electoral Trust added Rs 5 crore, and Jan Kalyan Electoral Trust gave Rs 9.5 lakh.

In total, the Congress received more than Rs 313 crore through the electoral trust mechanism, forming a substantial portion of its overall contributions for the year.

Electoral bonds, introduced in 2018 and widely criticized for their lack of transparency, were invalidated by the Supreme Court in February 2024 for violating principles of transparency. With electoral bonds now discontinued, political funding has undergone a significant structural shift.

The 2024-25 donation disclosures indicate that electoral trusts have become the primary channel for high-value political donations, particularly for national parties and numerous regional parties, thereby reshaping India's political finance landscape following the bond system.

Thirty political parties have filed their political contribution reports with the Election Commission. However, the BJP's 2024-25 contribution report has not yet appeared on the Election Commission website. A BJP representative stated that the party submitted its report late to the Commission. When questioned about the missing upload, an Election Commission official indicated the matter would be investigated.