Debunking a 'Sealed' Myth: Only 17 Political Parties Of 105 In EC List Got Electoral Bonds https://article-14.com/post/debunking-a-sealed-myth-only-17-political-parties-of-105-in-ec-list-got-electoral-bonds-629d7a3bd1d5a
SHREEGIREESH JALIHAL, POONAM AGARWAL & SOMESH JHA 06 Jun 2022
Secretive political funding by companies and individuals through electoral bonds reached no more than 19 political parties of over 2,800 across India, with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone raising 68% of the Rs 6,201 crore received in three years, reveals a series of interviews and analysis of annual audit reports by The Reporters’ Collective.
The findings run contrary to the widely held belief (here and here) that electoral bonds were encashed by 105 political parties and the BJP’s claim that bonds are an efficient way to allow, in the BJP’s words, “donation to any political party of donors’ choice”.
In 2017 and 2018, petitions were filed (here and here) in the Supreme Court challenging the legality of electoral bonds through which corporate companies and individuals anonymously donated unknown amounts to political parties, with no limits. The Supreme Court on 12 April 2019 asked the Election Commission (EC) to find out and provide information on which parties received electoral bonds worth how much.