The BJP has emerged as a clear gainer in getting corporate donations via electoral trusts by receiving Rs 290.22 cr or 89.22 per cent of Rs. 325.27-crore funds.

In comparison, the other nine political parties, including Congress, SP, SAD, AAP and RLD managed to receive only Rs 35.05 crore collectively, said Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) in its latest report on Electoral Trusts.

The donations to the BJP were made primarily by two of the 21 electoral trusts registered with the Central Board of Direct Taxes –Prudent Electoral Trust, which received the biggest contributions from corporate like the DLF group, UPL Ltd, JSW Energy and Piramal Enterprises, Bharti Airtel, Essar and Grasim Cements among others, and the Janata Nirvachak Trust, said an analysis by ADR, a non-profit working in the field of electoral reforms.

Prudent Electoral Trust received the highest contributions of Rs 283.73 crore in 2016-17 and distributed Rs 283.72 crore to nine political parties apart from the BJP– Rs 16.5 crore to Congress, Rs 9 crore to the Shiromani Akali Dal, Rs 6.5 crore to Samajwadi Party, Rs 1 crore each to Aam Aadmi Party and Shiv Sena, and the rest to the Trinamool Congress, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the People’s Democratic Party and National Conference.

“Total donations to political parties during 2013-14 was Rs 85.37 crore, during 2014-15: Rs 177.40 crore, during 2015-16: Rs 49.50 cr and during 2016-17: Rs 325.27 cr,” the ADR said in its report.