Six Gujarat-based political parties have earned around ₹1,700 crore in the financial year 2023-24, which is more than the combined financial income of five national parties the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the National People’s Party at around ₹1,480 crore, excluding BJP. &nbsp;These six registered unrecognised political parties fielded only 15 candidates collectively in the 2024 General Assembly elections, compared to the five national parties excluding BJP, which fielded 893 candidates. Four of these registered unrecognised parties are based in one single area, Naroda, Gujarat.The BBC News investigative report published on August 4, 2026, drawing upon the Association for Democratic Reform (ADR) and official financial filings from the Election Commission of India (ECI), identified these parties as the Aam Janmat Party, Bharatiya National Janata Dal, Garib Kalyan Party, New India United Party, Satyawadi Rakshak Party and the Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/swatantra-bhardwaj-judicial-custody-jantar-mantar-assault-case-1788688916591">'Influencer' Swatantra Bhardwaj sent to one-day judicial custody in Jantar Mantar assault case</a>The 2025 ADR report has claimed that all of them have a 223 per cent hike in income during the 2022–23 financial year. They had a cumulative income of ₹2,316 crore in the years between 2019 and 2024.&nbsp;The party which received the highest donation is the Aam Janmat Party, with ₹ 620 crore in donations in the fiscal year 2023-24 is more than double that of the Indian National Congress at ₹ 281 crore. A jump of roughly 187 per cent from ₹216 crore it had received in the previous financial year. The party surprisingly fielded only one candidate in the General Assembly Election in 2024.&nbsp;The party's Facebook page lists Anamika Paswan, currently a state vice president for the BJP in Bihar, as its national president. It was established with Anamika Paswan as its President in Patan in 2020. However, Paswan informed the BBC that she resigned from the party in 2022 when it shifted to Gujarat.The Satyawadi Rakshak Party, based in Gujarat’s Anand, secured around ₹330 crore in donations; Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party secured around ₹219 crore; New India United Party secured around ₹200 crore; Bharatiya National Janta Dal around ₹191 crore; and Gareeb Kalyan Party around ₹138 crore. The BBC reported that most of these parties have their offices shut and their leaders unwilling to speak.&nbsp;The story builds on the back of the ADR report published on July 18, 2025. The report flagged that 73 per cent of the nearly 2,800 registered unrecognised political parties have not disclosed their financial records. According to the report, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of registered unrecognised political parties with 744, followed by Delhi with 240 and Tamil Nadu with 230. The most recognised of these parties is the National Citizen’s Party of India, which housed 20 rebel MPs from the Trinamool Congress following the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Election.&nbsp;

Six Gujarat-based unrecognised parties earned ₹1,700 crore in 2023-24, more than five national parties that earned ₹1,480 crore combined.

Six Gujarat-based political parties have earned around ₹1,700 crore in the financial year 2023-24, which is more than the combined financial income of five national parties the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the National People’s Party at around ₹1,480 crore, excluding BJP. These six registered unrecognised political parties fielded only 15 candidates collectively in the 2024 General Assembly elections, compared to the five national parties excluding BJP, which fielded 893 candidates. Four of these registered unrecognised parties are based in one single area, Naroda, Gujarat. The BBC News investigative report published on August 4, 2026, drawing upon the Association for Democratic Reform (ADR) and official financial filings from the Election Commission of India (ECI), identified these parties as the Aam Janmat Party, Bharatiya National Janata Dal, Garib Kalyan Party, New India United Party, Satyawadi Rakshak Party and the Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party. Also Read: 'Influencer' Swatantra Bhardwaj sent to one-day judicial custody in Jantar Mantar assault case The 2025 ADR report has claimed that all of them have a 223 per cent hike in income during the 2022–23 financial year. They had a cumulative income of ₹2,316 crore in the years between 2019 and 2024. The party which received the highest donation is the Aam Janmat Party, with ₹ 620 crore in donations in the fiscal year 2023-24 is more than double that of the Indian National Congress at ₹ 281 crore. A jump of roughly 187 per cent from ₹216 crore it had received in the previous financial year. The party surprisingly fielded only one candidate in the General Assembly Election in 2024. The party's Facebook page lists Anamika Paswan, currently a state vice president for the BJP in Bihar, as its national president. It was established with Anamika Paswan as its President in Patan in 2020. However, Paswan informed the BBC that she resigned from the party in 2022 when it shifted to Gujarat. The Satyawadi Rakshak Party, based in Gujarat’s Anand, secured around ₹330 crore in donations; Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party secured around ₹219 crore; New India United Party secured around ₹200 crore; Bharatiya National Janta Dal around ₹191 crore; and Gareeb Kalyan Party around ₹138 crore. The BBC reported that most of these parties have their offices shut and their leaders unwilling to speak. The story builds on the back of the ADR report published on July 18, 2025. The report flagged that 73 per cent of the nearly 2,800 registered unrecognised political parties have not disclosed their financial records. According to the report, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of registered unrecognised political parties with 744, followed by Delhi with 240 and Tamil Nadu with 230. The most recognised of these parties is the National Citizen’s Party of India, which housed 20 rebel MPs from the Trinamool Congress following the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Election.

Six Gujarat-based unrecognised parties earned ₹1,700 crore in 2023-24, more than five national parties that earned ₹1,480 crore combined.

Six unrecognised Gujarat parties earned ₹1,700 crore, fielded just 15 candidates

In this segment of India Election Watch: In an interim order, the apex court directed all political parties to provide details of the amount of the bond and bank account of donors by May 30 to the poll panel. The question is; who funds Indian political parties and elections?

India Election Watch: Who funds India's elections?

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the legality of electoral bonds. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, will pronounce its judgment on Friday.

Tomorrow's order, however, will be interim and not the final one on the constitutionality of electoral bonds.

The Centre and the Election Commission have taken contrary stands in the court over political funding with the government wanting to maintain anonymity of the donors of electoral bonds and poll panel batting for revealing the names of donors for transparency.

The court is hearing the plea of NGO Association of Democratic Reforms opposing the use of electoral bonds for political funding. The petitioner has sought interim reliefs that either the issuance of electoral bonds be stayed or the names of the donors be made public to ensure transparency in the poll process.

Appearing for the NGO, Advocate Prashant Bhushan told the top court that electoral bonds were promoting undisclosed (anonymous) source of funds to political parties, thereby destroying the fabric of free and fair elections in India.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, countered by saying, "This is the best scheme possible to combat the vice of black money in elections. I hope the court upholds it."

Meanwhile, the Election Commission told the top court that it was not against electoral bonds but the anonymity factor. "We are opposed to anonymity and we want transparency with full disclosure. We are concerned with the amendments brought to the Representation of the Peoples Act. Political parties should put it (info on donations) on their websites so people get to know," the commission said.

However, the Attorney General defended the government's stand by saying that the law was passed to eliminate black money and that the "secrecy of funding is necessary to ensure that those who fund the political parties are not victimised if the party which they did not fund comes to power".

Electoral bonds were introduced by amendments made through the Finance Act 2017 to the Reserve Bank of India Act 1934, Representation of Peoples Act 1951, Income Tax Act 1962 and Companies Act. In January last year, Modi government notified the scheme for electoral bonds, which are in nature of bearer instruments like a promissory note capable of being purchased by an Indian citizen or a body based in India. These electoral bonds can be purchased from an authorised bank and can be issued to a political party. The political party can encash the bond within 15 days.

The most important issue regarding the electoral bonds is that the identity of the donor is known only to the bank, which is any case is kept anonymous.

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the legality of electoral bonds. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, will pronounce its judgment on Friday.

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the legality of electoral bonds. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, will pronounce its judgment on Friday. Tomorrow's order, however, will be interim and not the final one on the constitutionality of electoral bonds. The Centre and the Election Commission have taken contrary stands in the court over political funding with the government wanting to maintain anonymity of the donors of electoral bonds and poll panel batting for revealing the names of donors for transparency. The court is hearing the plea of NGO Association of Democratic Reforms opposing the use of electoral bonds for political funding. The petitioner has sought interim reliefs that either the issuance of electoral bonds be stayed or the names of the donors be made public to ensure transparency in the poll process. Appearing for the NGO, Advocate Prashant Bhushan told the top court that electoral bonds were promoting undisclosed (anonymous) source of funds to political parties, thereby destroying the fabric of free and fair elections in India. Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, countered by saying, "This is the best scheme possible to combat the vice of black money in elections. I hope the court upholds it." Meanwhile, the Election Commission told the top court that it was not against electoral bonds but the anonymity factor. "We are opposed to anonymity and we want transparency with full disclosure. We are concerned with the amendments brought to the Representation of the Peoples Act. Political parties should put it (info on donations) on their websites so people get to know," the commission said. However, the Attorney General defended the government's stand by saying that the law was passed to eliminate black money and that the "secrecy of funding is necessary to ensure that those who fund the political parties are not victimised if the party which they did not fund comes to power". Electoral bonds were introduced by amendments made through the Finance Act 2017 to the Reserve Bank of India Act 1934, Representation of Peoples Act 1951, Income Tax Act 1962 and Companies Act. In January last year, Modi government notified the scheme for electoral bonds, which are in nature of bearer instruments like a promissory note capable of being purchased by an Indian citizen or a body based in India. These electoral bonds can be purchased from an authorised bank and can be issued to a political party. The political party can encash the bond within 15 days. The most important issue regarding the electoral bonds is that the identity of the donor is known only to the bank, which is any case is kept anonymous.

Should names of donors using electoral bonds be made public? Supreme Court to decide tomorrow

The electoral bonds mechanism is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system and the government is open to suggestions to further cleanse political funding, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.

In a Facebook post, Jaitley said the conventional practice of funding the political system was to take donations as well as undertake expenditures in cash.

The sources are anonymous or pseudonymous. The quantum of money was never disclosed and the system ensures unclean money coming from unidentifiable sources.

&quot;It is a wholly non-transparent system. Most political groups seem fairly satisfied with the present arrangement and would not mind this status-quo to continue.

&quot;The effort, therefore, is to run down any alternative system which is devised to cleanse up the political funding mechanism,&quot; Jaitley said.

The finance minister had last week announced the contours of the electoral bonds, which will be sold by country&#39;s latest lender SBI and will have a tenure of just 15 days.

The bonds are being pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties.

Jaitley said the choice has now to be &quot;consciously&quot; made between the existing system of substantial cash donations involving unclean money and other transparent options like cheque, online transactions or electoral bonds.

&quot;While all three methods involve clean money, the first two are totally transparent and the electoral bonds scheme is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system of no-transparency,&quot; he said.

&quot;The government is willing to consider all suggestions to further strengthen the cleansing of political funding in India. It has to be borne in mind that impractical suggestions will not improve the cash denominated system. They would only consolidate it,&quot; Jaitley wrote.

He said India, despite being?the largest democracy in the world,?has not been able to evolve a transparent political funding system in the last seven decades.

&quot;The round the year functioning of the political parties involves a large expenditure...?These expenditures run into hundreds of crores. Yet there has not been a transparent funding mechanism of the political system,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

The finance minister had last week pitched electoral bonds as an alternative to cash donations

The electoral bonds mechanism is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system and the government is open to suggestions to further cleanse political funding, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. In a Facebook post, Jaitley said the conventional practice of funding the political system was to take donations as well as undertake expenditures in cash. The sources are anonymous or pseudonymous. The quantum of money was never disclosed and the system ensures unclean money coming from unidentifiable sources. "It is a wholly non-transparent system. Most political groups seem fairly satisfied with the present arrangement and would not mind this status-quo to continue. "The effort, therefore, is to run down any alternative system which is devised to cleanse up the political funding mechanism," Jaitley said. The finance minister had last week announced the contours of the electoral bonds, which will be sold by country's latest lender SBI and will have a tenure of just 15 days. The bonds are being pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties. Jaitley said the choice has now to be "consciously" made between the existing system of substantial cash donations involving unclean money and other transparent options like cheque, online transactions or electoral bonds. "While all three methods involve clean money, the first two are totally transparent and the electoral bonds scheme is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system of no-transparency," he said. "The government is willing to consider all suggestions to further strengthen the cleansing of political funding in India. It has to be borne in mind that impractical suggestions will not improve the cash denominated system. They would only consolidate it," Jaitley wrote. He said India, despite being?the largest democracy in the world,?has not been able to evolve a transparent political funding system in the last seven decades. "The round the year functioning of the political parties involves a large expenditure...?These expenditures run into hundreds of crores. Yet there has not been a transparent funding mechanism of the political system," he said.

Government open to proposals to further clean up political funding: Jaitley

Despite the Indian government&#39;s pledge to increase transparency,&nbsp;they are&nbsp;aiming to enshrine a law&nbsp;that will make corporate funding to political parties more difficult to track.

Currently, corporations&nbsp;that give money to&nbsp;political parties must publicly&nbsp;divulge who&nbsp;they fund. But the Finance Bill&#39;s proposed change, tabled by the Indian government&nbsp;February during the annual budget session, will no longer require&nbsp;businesses to do so.&nbsp;

The Finance Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on March 22 amid mass walkouts by opposition parties.&nbsp;

Under the proposed alterations to the Companies Act, political parties in power can more easily&nbsp;leverage the granting of contracts to interested parties. It will also be difficult to prove that an auction has taken place at all, making it possible for the government to award contracts without proving that any competitive process has taken place to earn the job.

The Finance Bill has been assailed by opposition parties as being the outcome of a unilateral process.

Money bill

Another controversial change in the proposed law&nbsp;is&nbsp;the &quot;money bill&quot;. If the new legislation is enacted, the &quot;money bill&quot;&nbsp;will bypass the Upper House, also known as the Rajya Sabha, and will go directly from the Lower House, or the Lok Sabha, to the President of India.

This legislation has been particularly&nbsp;criticised by the opposition for&nbsp;strengthening the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as its presence isn&#39;t particularly strong in the Rajya Sabha.

But the upside of the mini-sweep has been the government&#39;s decision to roll out electoral bonds. Business houses&nbsp;will be incentivised to make political donations through digital payments and cheques to make the process of donations more transparent.

Aadhar card

The other big change announced on March 22 is the newly increased&nbsp;importance of Aadhar cards, a multipurpose national identity document. On March 22 it was announced that Indian nationals will have to furnish their Aadhar details while filing tax returns after July 1, 2017.

The Aadhar card requires citizens to give the government both their biometric information, or their fingerprints, as well as a retinal scan.&nbsp;

When asked on March 22&nbsp;if the government was making Aardhar cards mandatory--essentially asking, will Indians have to give the government their fingerprints and retinal scans,&nbsp;Finance Minister Arun Jaitley <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/finance-bill-minister-arun-jaitley-counters-critique-yes-we-are-making-aadhaar-mandatory-4581383/" target="_blank">said</a>, &quot;Yes, we are&quot;.

(WION)

If the bill is enshrined, businesses won't have to name the political party they donate to in their profit and loss accounts

Despite the Indian government's pledge to increase transparency, they are aiming to enshrine a law that will make corporate funding to political parties more difficult to track. Currently, corporations that give money to political parties must publicly divulge who they fund. But the Finance Bill's proposed change, tabled by the Indian government February during the annual budget session, will no longer require businesses to do so. The Finance Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on March 22 amid mass walkouts by opposition parties. Under the proposed alterations to the Companies Act, political parties in power can more easily leverage the granting of contracts to interested parties. It will also be difficult to prove that an auction has taken place at all, making it possible for the government to award contracts without proving that any competitive process has taken place to earn the job. The Finance Bill has been assailed by opposition parties as being the outcome of a unilateral process. Money bill Another controversial change in the proposed law is the "money bill". If the new legislation is enacted, the "money bill" will bypass the Upper House, also known as the Rajya Sabha, and will go directly from the Lower House, or the Lok Sabha, to the President of India. This legislation has been particularly criticised by the opposition for strengthening the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as its presence isn't particularly strong in the Rajya Sabha. But the upside of the mini-sweep has been the government's decision to roll out electoral bonds. Business houses will be incentivised to make political donations through digital payments and cheques to make the process of donations more transparent. Aadhar card The other big change announced on March 22 is the newly increased importance of Aadhar cards, a multipurpose national identity document. On March 22 it was announced that Indian nationals will have to furnish their Aadhar details while filing tax returns after July 1, 2017. The Aadhar card requires citizens to give the government both their biometric information, or their fingerprints, as well as a retinal scan. When asked on March 22 if the government was making Aardhar cards mandatory--essentially asking, will Indians have to give the government their fingerprints and retinal scans, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "Yes, we are". (WION)

Finance Bill's political funding tenet upends govt's vow to tackle graft

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