New Delhi: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in an alliance but fared differently when it came to receiving donations through electoral bonds.
The BSP run by Mayawati informed the Election Commission of India (ECI) that it had not received any donations through the electoral bonds mode of funding. On the other hand, the SP received a total of Rs 14.05 crore as donations through electoral bonds, including Rs 10 crore from unknown donors via post during the peak of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Given the size of Uttar Pradesh, where the two parties took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the last election, the figure pales in comparison to the funding received by other state-based parties elsewhere. Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats and a 403-member assembly, by far the largest in the country.
If the funding through electoral bonds of the two main opposition parties in the state around the time of the last Lok Sabha and assembly election were to go by, there was a clear case of a lop-sided battle.
Mayawati said to avoid the situation of “jahan sahara, wahan ishara” (roughly translates to taking instructions from big industrialists after receiving funds from them), her party stays away from the “money power” of big capitalists and the rich.
“That is why our government that came to power four times in UP took historic initiatives for public interest, public welfare and eradicating poverty and backwardness, whereas other parties are mostly engaged in self-interest,” Mayawati posted on social media handle X.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav had termed electoral bonds as the “BJP’s guarantee to convert black money into white” and accused the ruling party of using the scheme like an “extortion” racket.
The SP did not declare its full list of donors yet. “Since details of donors are not furnished by the bank in the case of donations received through electoral bonds, hence we are unable to provide the details of donors for the same,” SP national general secretary Ramgopal Yadav informed the ECI, which uploaded the data on its website on March 17.
Ten electoral bonds of Rs 1 crore each were issued to the party on May 7, 2019 and were encashed on May 10, 2019. They were sent by post and had no names, the SP disclosed to the ECI.
Also read: Journalist Who Purchased Electoral Bonds Points to Possible Discrepancy in Released List
The SP received Rs 84 lakh in electoral bonds on April 4 and 5, which were encashed on April 18. The party disclosed that it received Rs 7 lakh (seven bonds of Rs 1 lakh each) from S.K. Traders in Gurugram; Rs 30 lakh (three bonds of Rs 10 lakh each) from San Beverages Pvt Limited; Rs 1 lakh from S.K. Trading Co, Delhi; Rs 10 lakh in one bond from A.K. Traders, Delhi; Rs 10 lakh (10 bonds of Rs 1 lakh each) from K.S. Traders, Mohannagar; Rs 7 lakh (seven bonds of Rs 1 lakh each) from B.S. Traders, Jaipur; Rs 5 lakh (five bonds of Rs 1 lakh each) from A.S. Traders, Delhi and Rs 5 lakh (five bonds of Rs 1 lakh each) from B.G. Traders, Faridabad.
The SP also received six entries of electoral bonds during the 2022 assembly election; a sum of Rs 3.21 crore on January 10 and 12.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has said the electoral bonds was a means of collecting “chanda” (donation) and a system of “vasooli” (extortion) under the BJP government. “Those who gave electoral bonds under the fear of the central agencies ED, CBI and IT Department, it was actually vasooli. In a true sense, those parties now in power have received electoral bonds,” he said.
Notably, a month prior to the 2022 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati had come out in the public and declared that her party was facing financial constraints and thus was unable to hold as many public rallies as its opponents.
Mayawati had claimed that while other parties received a lot of funds from governments as well as capitalists, hers was a party of the “poor and the oppressed.” “Unlike other parties, our party is not a party of capitalists and dhannaseths (big businessmen). Along with being a political party, our party is also a movement,” she said.
The BSP chief has often been criticised for seeking hefty sums from politicians for an election ticket from her party. Many leaders who quit the BSP over the last decade, often accused Mayawati of “auctioning” ticket to the highest bidder.
It is common knowledge in the political circles of Lucknow that the BSP seeks annual maintenance fees from its MLAs, MPs, office-bearers and zonal coordinators and receives cash donations from supporters and donors.
The BSP ruled Uttar Pradesh with a full majority from 2007 to 2012 and was the main opposition till 2017.
