Electoral Bonds: Election Commission Sets 15 November Deadline For Political Parties To Disclose Donation Details

In a persistent call for transparency, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has once again reminded all political parties to provide details of donations received through electoral bonds by 5pm on 15 November.

As reported by Hindustan Times, this reminder echoes the ECI's previous directive on 3 November, aligning with the Supreme Court's instructions issued on 2 November.

Pursuant to the Supreme Court's order, the ECI is obligated to furnish details of all electoral bonds issued since the scheme's inception by 19 November, presenting the information in a sealed packet.

Building on an April 2019 interim order, reiterated in November 2023, political parties are required to disclose information encompassing donors, bond amounts, and particulars of credited amounts.

This includes specific details such as bank account information and the dates of each credit.

Political parties are directed to send this comprehensive information to Binod Kumar, Secretary of the Election Expenditure Division at the ECI, in a "double sealed cover" explicitly marked as "Confidential-Electoral Bond".

Acting on the Supreme Court's directive, the ECI is to submit this data in a sealed packet to the registrar (judicial), with the top court reserving its judgement in this matter.

Information gleaned from RTI requests indicates that electoral bonds worth Rs 14,940 crore were sold between March 2018 and October 2023.

Moreover, in the lead-up to the assembly elections in five states, electoral bonds worth Rs 1,148 crore were sold between 4 October and 13 October, with a substantial 95.352 per cent being in denominations of Rs 1 crore each.