New Delhi: Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd, a prominent lottery company headed by Santiago Martin, topped the list of contributors to political parties with Rs 1,368 crore donated through now-scrapped electoral bond scheme.
The firm is owned by Santiago Martin, known as the ‘Lottery King’ of India.
This was revealed in the comprehensive data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), a Hyderabad-based infrastructure giant known for its involvement in significant projects such as the Zojila tunnel, was the second-biggest donor. MEIL, under the leadership of Krishna Reddy, had made substantial donations worth Rs 966 crore.
Mumbai’s Qwik Supply Chain Pvt Ltd, a logistics firm, took the third spot with a contribution of Rs 410 crore through electoral bonds. Mining behemoth Vedanta Limited and the RP-Sanjeev Goenka Group’s Haldia Energy, were also among the top 10 donors with substantial contributions of Rs 400 crore and Rs 377 crore, respectively.
Also Read: SC Notice To SBI For Not Disclosing Unique Numbers Linked To Electoral Bonds
One of India’s biggest conglomerates The Bharti Airtel Group, and mining giant Essel Mining and Industries Ltd also made significant donations.
The data uploaded by the ECI earlier in the week revealed details about the purchase of the poll bonds of denominations between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore, since April 12, 2019.
Other donors include Grasim Industries, Megha Engineering, Piramal Enterprises, Torrent Power, DLF Commercial Developers, Apollo Tyres, Edelweiss, Keventer, Sula Wines, Welspun, Sun Pharma, Vardhman Textiles, Jindal Group, Phillips Carbon Black Limited, CEAT tyres, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Kaypee Enterprises, Cipla and Ultratech Cement.
Steel tycoon Lakshmi Niwas Mittal made contributions to the tune of Rs 35 crore in an individual capacity, through the electoral bonds. Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Varun Gupta, B K Goenka, Jainendra Shah and one person known only by the first name of Monika were also among the individual donors.
Two of India’s biggest conglomerates, Reliance Industries, helmed by Mukesh Ambani, and Adani Group, led by Gautam Adani, however, did not make it to the list of donors in the said range.
LIST OF TOP DONORS
1 Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR: Rs 1,368 crore
1. 2 Megha Engineering And Infrastructures Limited: Rs 966 crore.
3 Qwik Supply Chain Private Limited: Rs 410 crores
2. 4 Vedanta Limited: Rs 400 crore
3. 5 Haldia Energy Limited: Rs 377 crore
4. 6 Bharti Airtel Group: Rs 247 crores
5. 7 Essel Mining and Industries Ltd: Rs 224 crores
6. 8 Western UP Power Transmission Company Limited: Rs 220 crore
7. 9 Keventer Food Park Infra Limited: Rs 195 crore
8. 10 MKJ Enterprises Limited: Rs 192 crore
Political parties that redeemed electoral bonds include BJP, Trinamool Congress, Congress, BJD AIADMK, BRS, Shiv Sena, TDP, YSR Congress, DMK, JDS, NCP, JDU, RJD, AAP, and the Samajwadi Party, according to the data.
Following the release of the electoral bonds data, Congress flagged discrepancies. The donors’ file has 18,871 entries, while the recipients’ file has 20,421 entries, it said.
The State Bank of India has issued electoral bonds worth Rs 16,518 crore in 30 tranches since the inception of the scheme in 2018.
