Electoral Bonds: ‘Don’t Know Donors,’ TMC, JD(U) Says ‘Anonymous Sources Left Poll Bonds To Party Offices In 2019’

TMC did not mention the identities of donors from whom they received nearly Rs 75 crore during July 16, 2018, and May 22, 2019, states report.

In a surprising claim to the election comission, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and JD(U) have reportedly said that the electoral bonds for 2018-19 they received were left by anonymous sources in sealed envelopes at their party offices in Kolkata and Patna, as reported by Times Of India.

In an unusual claim TMC said, due to the above mentioned reason they don’t know who the donors are in their 2018-19 electoral bond disclosures. 

JD(U) disclosed the identities of donors from whom they received Rs 3 crore out of the total Rs 13 crore received in April 2019. But TMC did not mention the identities of donors from whom they received nearly Rs 75 crore during July 16, 2018, and May 22, 2019.

JD(U) Electoral Bond Donations

Shree Cement Limited in Ajmer and Bharti Airtel Limited in Gurugram are disclosed as the names of donors by JD(U).   They donated Rs 2 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively according to the TOI report.

JD(U) also claimed in its submission to the Election Commission of India that somebody went to their office on April 3, 2019, in Patna and handed over a sealed envelope and when it was opened by them, they found a bunch containing 10 electoral bonds of Rs 1 crore each. 

TMC On Electoral Bonds

“Most of these bonds were sent to our office and dropped in the drop box to sent through messengers from various persons who wished to support our party, many of whom prefer to remain anonymous. Thus, we are not in possession of names and other details of the buyers,” TMC said in a letter accessed by The Times of India. 

TMC suggested that donor identities could be established using the unique numbers of electoral bonds issued by the State Bank of India.

TMC Electoral Bonds Data

Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) is the second largest recipient of donations to political parties between April 2019 and January 2024.

The donation in the party increased after it won the West Bengal Assembly elections in 2021.

According to data uploaded by the Election Commission, the AITMC redeemed electoral bonds totalling Rs 1609 crore between April 2019 and January 2024.