New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made a significant move by releasing comprehensive data on Electoral Bonds. This includes detailed information on purchases, redemptions, and bond numbers, which are crucial for matching donors with political parties.
Electoral Bonds were introduced in March 2018 as a means of funding political parties. The State Bank of India (SBI) was designated as the sole authority to sell and redeem these bonds. However, following a Supreme Court verdict, the scheme was deemed unconstitutional and subsequently annulled.
Data Disclosure:
In compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive, SBI submitted detailed Electoral Bonds data to the ECI, which has now been published on the ECI’s official website. This data encompasses two separate lists categorizing the donors and the recipients.
The data is available at this link www.eci.gov.in/candidate-politicalparty
Supreme Court’s Involvement:
The apex court’s involvement has been pivotal. It ordered SBI to furnish exhaustive details of the bonds, including unique bond numbers that link buyers to recipients. This directive was part of a landmark judgment that invalidated the anonymous political funding scheme and mandated full disclosure of all related transactions.
Statistics:
According to the affidavit submitted by SBI to the Supreme Court, a total of 22,217 Electoral Bonds were purchased by political parties from April 1, 2019, to February 15, 2024. Out of these, 22,030 were redeemed.
Current Status:
The ECI has uploaded the received data on its website, providing transparency and adhering to the Supreme Court’s order. The data is accessible to the public and can be viewed for insights into political funding patterns.
The release of Electoral Bonds data marks a new era of transparency in political funding in India. It aligns with the Supreme Court’s vision of upholding constitutional values and ensuring accountability in the electoral process.
