15 Firms Make 70% Donations to the Largest Electoral Trust

Of the ₹1,075.68 Crore That PET Disbursed to Six Parties, the BJP Received ₹723.78 Crore, or 67.3%, Followed by the Congress at ₹156 Crore

- Aditi Agrawal

NEW DELHI: Fifteen business groups accounted for about 70% or ₹785.985 crore of the ₹1,075.71 crore that the Prudent Electoral Trust (PET), the largest electoral trust in the country, received in FY24, documents available on the Election Commission of India (ECI) website showed.

Of the ₹1,075.68 crore that PET disbursed to six parties, the BJP received the lion's share at ₹723.78 crore, or 67.3%, followed by the Congress at ₹156.4 crore or 14.5%. The BRS received ₹85 crore or 7.9% followed by the YRCP at ₹72.5 crore (6.7%) and the TDP at ₹33 crore (3.1%). The Janasena Party received a lone donation of ₹5 crore from PET.

While the ECI recognises 19 electoral trusts, the contribution reports of only 14 are available on the ECI website. Of these 14, only five electoral trusts, including PET, received donations in FY24. The top donors to PET were ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India and DLF, each of which donated ₹100 crore.