Updated on March 19, 2024, at 12:40 PM IST
- Cyient emerged as the largest donor among three IT companies contributing through electoral bonds.
- Infosys donated Rs 1 crore to Janata Dal (Secular) in 2018, while Zensar Technologies contributed Rs 3 crore to unidentified parties in 2019.
- BJP received the highest total donations at Rs 6,986.5 crore since the inception of electoral bonds in 2018.
In a recent disclosure by the Election Commission of India (ECI), information technology (IT) and engineering services companies, including Infosys Ltd., Cyient Ltd., and Zensar Technologies Ltd., were identified among firms contributing to political parties through electoral bonds, before the scheme’s discontinuation.
Cyient emerged as the leading donor among these IT companies, contributing Rs 10 crore through electoral bonds. However, the recipient political parties of Cyient’s contributions remain undisclosed at present.
Infosys, a prominent IT bellwether, donated Rs 1 crore to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) during the Karnataka assembly elections in 2018. Similarly, Zensar Technologies contributed Rs 3 crore to unidentified political parties via electoral bonds in May 2019.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) topped the list of recipients, receiving the highest total donations amounting to Rs 6,986.5 crore since the introduction of electoral bonds in 2018. Trinamool Congress followed with Rs 1,397 crore, while the Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi received Rs 1,334 crore and Rs 1,322 crore, respectively.
The top purchaser of electoral bonds was Santiago Martin’s Future Gaming and Hotel Services, acquiring bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore. Of this, approximately 37% went to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Future Gaming and Hotel Services further contributed Rs 509 crore to the DMK through the electoral funding scheme. Additionally, the Janata Dal (Secular) received bonds worth Rs 89.75 crore, including Rs 50 crore from Megha Engineering, which ranked as the second-largest buyer of electoral bonds.
Other notable recipients of electoral bonds include the Biju Janata Dal (Rs 944.50 crore), YSR Congress (Rs 442.80 crore), Telugu Desam Party (Rs 181.35 crore), Samajwadi Party (Rs 14.05 crore), Shiromani Akali Dal (Rs 7.26 crore), and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Rs 6.05 crore).
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