Electoral bonds data: Donors can be matched with parties
The Election Commission of India on Thursday uploaded additional data regarding electoral bonds, including party-wise details on the amount redeemed as well as corresponding bank account information. The additional data also includes bond numbers to match party and donor dates. The data was submitted to the ECI earlier in the day by the State Bank of India in line with the Supreme Court order.
Why does this story matter?
The SBI has disclosed all the details of electoral bonds sold and redeemed between April 12, 2019 and February 15, 2024 to the ECI. The ECI last uploaded electoral bond-related documents that it received from the SBI on March 17. However, the unique numbers were not submitted, without which it wasn't possible to link the lists and determine which donor contributed to which party.
Details on electoral bonds furnished by the SBI
The details furnished by the SBI on electoral bonds include date of encashment, name of political party, bond number, denomination, last four digits of the account number, and payment branch code. Details of the electoral bond purchaser, including URN number, journal date, date of purchase, date of expiry, name of the purchaser, issue branch code, and status, are also included.
Supreme Court struck down EBS last month
To recall, in a landmark ruling in February, a five-judge constitution court declared the electoral bond scheme "unconstitutional" and ordered the SBI to disclose contributors by March 12. The SBI sought an extension of time until June 30 to release the data, which the court denied. On March 12, the SBI disclosed the first tranche of details of bond purchasers and recipients.
BJP received most donations during 2019-2020
According to the second tranche of data released on March 17, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received the most donations during the fiscal year 2019-2020. The EC data showed that of the total Rs. 6,986.5 crore in donations received by the BJP via electoral bonds, the maximum amount of Rs. 2,555 crore was received in fiscal year 2019-20.
