Regional parties received Rs 54.81 crore in donations in 2017-18; 17 sent delayed reports to EC: ADR

New Delhi: Seventeen regional parties defaulted in submitting their donations report to the Election Commission in 2017-18, said a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms , which advocates for electoral reforms to combat corruption and empower citizens.

Of the 48 regional parties analysed, only 15 submitted their donations report to the Election Commission in the stipulated time period. Sixteen other regional parties delayed their submission by a maximum of 31 days to one day.

There are 17 regional political parties that defaulted in submitted their donations report to the Election Commission, the ADR report said. These include the Asom Gana Parishad, Mizo National Front and Indian National Lok Dal.

The total amount of donations declared by regional parties, including both above and below Rs 20,000, was Rs 54.81 crore, from 2,824 donations.

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The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal leads with Rs 13.04 crore from six donations, followed by Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), which declared receiving Rs 11.19 crore from 27 donations.

YSRC declared receiving Rs 8.35 crore, the third highest among all regional parties, the report said.

According to the report, 59.44 percent, or Rs 32.58 crore, of the total donations received by regional parties were received solely by the top three regional parties.

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party received 5 percent, which amounts to around Rs 41.6 lakh crore of the total donations above Rs 20,000 received from abroad, the report said.

The ADR report focuses on donations declared by regional political parties, during the financial year 2017-18, as submitted by the parties to the Election Commission.