Transparency seems to encourage generosity. The financial year 2024-25 is the first after the Supreme Court quashed the electoral bonds scheme as unconstitutional because these made the contributors to political parties anonymous. This year, contributions are almost three times higher, with the Bharatiya Janata Party receiving far more than the Congress or all the Opposition parties together. For example, just nine electoral trusts donated Rs 3,811 crore to political parties; of this the BJP received
Rs 3,112 crore or more than four-fifths of the total. Reports from the various trusts indicate that of the total donations from them, only under 8% or Rs 299 crore went to the Congress while the rest of the donations of Rs 400 crore or under 10% went to all other parties. Electoral trust is only one route of donations in which different bodies put in their contributions in a trust which then donates to the political parties. Other contributions can be made by corporate organisations or individuals through demand drafts, cheques and bank transfers. The total received by the BJP this year is Rs 6,088 crore over the Rs 3,967 crore of the last financial year. In contrast, the Congress received Rs 522 crore. Contributions to the BJP are the highest in six years. Transparency has worked with unexpected results.

Does the highest funding mean an inevitable victory for a political party? Certainly it is no guarantee of such but it undeniably puts the party at a great advantage over the others. More expensive campaigns taking over electronic media, social media with rallies, meetings, banners and hoardings help to make the party into a household name, shape public opinion and influence electoral choices. The difference between contributions to the BJP with those to other parties does put the BJP ahead in the race, partly because the donations indicate a general but strong support of industry. In the United States of America, where the electoral system is different, the candidate who spends the most money usually wins, with a few exceptions. But incumbency is not necessarily an advantage. Although the machinery of the State is largely under the ruling party’s control, the party is already a familiar name and its presence is strongly felt in non-electoral times. But an equal competition would be difficult, given the great difference in funding.