Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which lost power in Odisha in the 2024 assembly elections, reported a sharp rise in declared donations in FY 2024-25, receiving Rs 60 crore through just four donations above Rs 20,000, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).The party had reported no such donations in the previous financial year, making it one of the biggest gainers among regional parties in terms of funding growth.The ADR report, which analysed donations above Rs 20,000 declared by 40 regional political parties, found that the value of contributions to regional parties more than tripled from Rs 347.69 crore in FY 2023-24 to Rs 1,051.56 crore in FY 2024-25. The number of donations also surged by 85%, from 2,861 to 5,297.Among regional parties, DMK emerged as the largest recipient of donations, receiving Rs 365.78 crore, followed by Trinamool Congress (Rs 184.96 crore), YSR Congress (Rs 140.04 crore), TDP (Rs 83.04 crore), AIADMK (Rs 66.31 crore) and BJD (Rs 60 crore).The report noted that BJD received all its donations from corporate or business houses. It also highlighted that the party reported only four donations of sizeable amounts, similar to Telangana’s BRS, which received Rs 15.09 crore through four contributions.In terms of year-on-year growth, BJD was among a handful of regional parties that registered substantial increases in donations. While DMK and AITC recorded the highest gains in absolute terms, BJD moved from reporting no donations above Rs 20,000 in FY 2023-24 to declaring Rs 60 crore in FY 2024-25.The ADR analysis also showed that corporate and business houses remained the dominant source of funding for regional parties, accounting for Rs 872.54 crore, or more than 62% of total donations received during FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25. BJD, along with AITC, YSR Congress, TDP and AIADMK, relied overwhelmingly on corporate donations.At the broader level, the report found that political funding among regional parties remained concentrated in a few major outfits. DMK, AITC, YSR Congress and TDP together accounted for more than 60% of all donations declared during the two financial years under review.ADR said transparency concerns persisted, with donations from undeclared donors rising sharply in FY 2024-25 and corporate entities continuing to dominate political financing.
