Overview
- Contributions routed via electoral trusts rose to ₹3,811 crore in FY25, about triple the previous year, according to filings compiled this month.
- Three vehicles — Prudent, Progressive and New Democratic — accounted for roughly 98% of trust flows, with Prudent alone receiving ₹2,668 crore and disbursing ₹2,181 crore.
- The BJP received approximately ₹3,112 crore through trusts in FY25, around 82% of all trust disbursements, while Congress received about ₹299 crore and other parties shared the remainder.
- Trusts operate as Section 8 entities taking PAN-verified, banked donations and filing annual reports, yet public records do not reveal which donor funded which party.
- Only the Election Commission and the Income Tax Department hold donor-to-party mappings, and no new ECI reform has been announced even as concerns about transparency and competition intensify.