Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had third highest income among 31 regional parties in 2020-21, according to a report of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The ADR report was prepared on the basis of the total income and expenditure incurred by 31 out of 54 regional
parties during 2020-21 financial year, as declared by the parties in their IT returns submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The DMK of Tamil Nadu had the highest income of Rs 149.95 crore, followed by the YSR Congress Party of Andhra Pradesh with Rs 107.99 crore and the BJD with Rs 73.34 crore.
A comparative analysis of the income of the parties between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years showed that the BJD’s income had come down by 19%. Its income came down from Rs 90.35 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 73.34 crore in 2020-21.
The BJD had received Rs 67 crore, which accounts for 91% of its total income in FY 2020-21, from voluntary contributions including donations through electoral bonds and other donations. This was also the third-highest among the regional parties in the country. The other contributor to the Odisha party’s income came from bank interest of Rs 6.16 crore.
Interestingly, the BJD had declared that it has spent only Rs 7.01 crore during the period, leaving Rs 66.33 crore in excess income. Out of its total expenditure, administrative and general expenses accounted for 70.59% with Rs 4.95 crore, the ADR report stated.
The reports of 23 regional parties were not available on the Commission’s website while the deadline for submission of audited reports was October 31, 2021. Among the parties whose annual audited accounts were unavailable were the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference.
Among others, the ADR said there must be a strict mechanism for reporting financial information to ensure that there is financial transparency and accountability on the part of the political parties. “The procedures and reporting framework must be standardised to ensure that a true picture of the financial position of the political parties is revealed to the voters,” the report stated.
