Lok Sabha Elections 2024: National parties declare their income; Know where BJP, Congress, AAP & others stand?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was named the political party with the most income in 2022–2023 with about Rs 2,361 crore, followed by the Congress with Rs 452.375 crore, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said on Wednesday that the six national parties have disclosed a combined revenue for the 2022–2023 fiscal year of over Rs 3,077 crore, with the BJP receiving the largest portion of about Rs 2,361 crore.

The ruling BJP's income constitutes 76.73 per cent of the total income of the six national parties during FY 2022-23, it said. The Congress forms 14.70 per cent of the total income of the six national parties. 

For FY 2022–2023, donations through electoral bonds accounted for 49.09 percent, or Rs 1,510.61 crore, of the total income received by the BJP, Congress, and AAP as national parties. Through electoral bonds, the BJP collected Rs 1294.15 crore, the Congress Rs 171.02 crore, and the AAP Rs 45.45 crore.
 

The ADR stated that in FY 2022–2023 parties redeemed electoral bonds worth Rs 2,797.356 crore, of which 54%, or Rs 1510.62 crore, were redeemed by national parties, using data provided by the SBI in answer to its RTI.

The ADR stated that the BJP's income climbed by 23.15 per cent, or Rs 443.724 crore, from Rs 1,917.12 crore to Rs 2,360.84 crore during 2021–2022 and 2022–2023.

The only party from the northeast to be granted national party status, the National People's Party (NPP), saw a gain in revenue from Rs 47.20 lakh in FY 2021–22 to Rs 7.562 crore in FY 2022–23, or a jump of 1,502.12 percent, or Rs 7.09 crore.

The AAP's revenue climbed from Rs 44.539 crore in FY 2021–22 to Rs 85.17 crore in FY 2022–23, a 91.23 per cent increase (Rs 40.631 crore). Citing their records filed with the Election Commission, it stated that the income of the Congress, CPI(M), and BSP fell by 16.42% (Rs 88.90 crore), 12.68% (Rs 20.57 crore), and 33.14% (Rs 14.50 crore) during the fiscal years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023.

It also stated that during FY 2022–2023 the BJP recorded a total income of Rs 2360.844 crore, on which it spent just 576.86 percent, or Rs 1,361.684 crore.

The Congress earned a total of Rs 452.375 crore in revenue that year, but it also spent Rs 467.135 crore, meaning that its expenses were 3.26 percent more than its revenue.

The CPI(M) earned a total of Rs 141.661 crore, but it also spent Rs 106.067 crore, or 74.87%, of that amount. In a similar vein, the AAP earned Rs 85.17 crore in total but spent Rs 102.051 crore, meaning that its expenses for the year exceeded its revenue by 19.82%.