Electoral bonds data released: Billionaires to lesser-known entities among buyers

Electoral bonds data, shared by the State Bank of India (SBI), was published on Thursday on the Election Commission’s website, a day earlier than the Supreme Court’s deadline.

The poll panel was asked to publish the details, as it was received from SBI, on its official website by 5 pm on March 15.

The data shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) revealed the purchase of now-scrapped electoral bonds of denominations between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore, since April 12, 2019. The information also showcases purchases made by both companies and individuals. The data also disclosed that recipients of funds through electoral bonds include BJP, Congress, AIADMK, BRS, Shiv Sena, TDP, YSR Congress and other political parties.

The list of entities which purchased electoral bonds to make political donations is a veritable Who’s Who of the corporate world. But possibly the biggest donor, according to the list, is a little-known lottery company called Future Gaming and Hotel Services.

The better-known names include steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta, ITC, Mahindra and Mahindra, DLF, PVR, Birlas, Bajajs, Jindals, Spicejet, IndiGo and the Goenkas. Future Gaming and Hotel Services purchased possibly the highest amount of bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore, followed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd at Rs 966 crore. Future Gaming was probed by the Enforcement Directorate in March 2022.

The data dump only disclosed the amount donated by each entity or individual. It does not say who donated to which party.