The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: Donations received by the BJP increased by 87 per cent before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as compared to the previous year and stood at Rs. 3,967.14 crore.
Share of electoral bonds in the total contributions received by the party decreased to less than half, according to the BJP’s annual audit report for 2023-24, reported The Indian Express.
According to the annual report that was published by the Election Commission on Monday (January 27), voluntary contributions to the saffron party increased from 2,120.06 crore in 2022-23 to 3,967.14 in 2023-24.
The report reveals that the BJP got Rs 1,685.62 crore in the form of electoral bonds, which accounts for 43 per cent of its total contributions.
Back in 2022-2023, the party had received Rs 1,294.14 crore in the form of electoral bonds, which amounted to 61 per cent of the total contributions.
According to the report, the BJP’s expenditure on election/general propaganda increased from Rs. 1,092.15 crore in the previous year to 1,754.06 crore, of which Rs. 591.39 crore was spent on advertisements and publicity.
In February 2024, the Supreme Court had struck down the electoral bonds scheme, declaring it unconstitutional and saying that anonymous electoral bonds are violative of the right to information and Article 19(1)(a).
The electoral bond scheme was brought by the Narendra Modi government early in 2018. Through it, companies and individuals in India can make anonymous donations to political parties.