New Delhi

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Supreme Court of India on Monday (March 18) said the State Bank of India (SBI) cannot be selective and has to disclose all "conceivable" electoral bond details in its possession, including unique bond numbers that would disclose the link between the buyer and the recipient political party.

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Supreme Court directed the SBI to make complete disclosure of electoral bond details by March 21.

The already released electoral bond details pertain to the period before April 12, 2019.

Earlier, the Election Commission of India on Sunday (March 17) released data it received from political parties on electoral bonds that were earlier provided to the Supreme Court in sealed covers after the top court directed to make it publicly available.

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Also read | SBI submits electoral bonds data to Election Commission following Indian SC's censure

The disclosure reveals details about a total of 523 recognised and non-recognised political parties made public by the Election Commission after the Supreme Court's directives. 

Electoral Bonds data dump so far: Key points

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1. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leads in the total amount of funds received through electoral bonds in 2018. The party's cumulative electoral bond amount sums up to ₹6986.5 crore or about $842mn.

2. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress received ₹1,397 crore ($168.5 mn) in electoral bonds followed by the Congress with ₹1,334 crore (or $160.9mn), and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi with ₹1,322 crore ($159 mn).

3. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) received ₹944.5 crore ($113.8mn), followed by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam at ₹656.5 crore ($79.1 mn), and YSR Congress of Andhra Pradesh at nearly ₹442.8 crore ($53.4 mn).

Also watch | Electoral Bonds Data Unveiled: Top 10 donors to political parties

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4. The beneficiaries of about ₹859 crore ($103.6mn) worth of bonds purchased by Future Gaming remain undisclosed. This is reportedly due to incomplete donor information from most political parties.

5. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party did not provide a consolidated donation figure. However, the State Bank of India's records indicate it received ₹65.45 crore ($7.8 mn). The total sum received by the AAP stands at ₹69 crore ($8.32mn) after accounting for another ₹3.55 crore ($428,228) post-filing with the Election Commission. 

6. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) redeemed bonds totalling ₹181.35 crore ($21.83mn), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) ₹130.38 crore ($15.68mn), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ₹56 crore ($6.75 mn), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ₹50.51 crore ($6.09mn), Sikkim Krantikari Morcha ₹15.5 crore ($1.86mn), Samajwadi Party (SP) ₹14.05 crore ($1.69 mn), Akali Dal ₹7.26 crore ($875,759), AIADMK ₹6.05 crore ($729,798), National Conference (NC) ₹50 lakh ($60,313) from the Bharti Group, and Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) ₹50 lakh (($60,313).

7. Tamil Nadu's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam revealed donor identities. However, the donor details of major political parties such as the BJP, Congress, and TMC have not been fully disclosed.

8. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party disclosed total donations of ₹10.84 crore ($1.30mn). But SP also received 10 bonds worth ₹10 crore ($1.2mn) received anonymously "by post".