In an updated revelation by the Election Commission, the National Conference (NC) emerges as the only regional party in Jammu & Kashmir to have acquired electoral bonds under the now-defunct electoral bonds scheme.
The disclosure, made public by the Election Commission on Sunday, sheds light on the financial transactions of political parties through the electoral bonds system.
Initially submitted to the Supreme Court in sealed envelopes, the Election Commission's data was later posted on its website following the return of hard copies by the Supreme Court's registrar.
According to the revealed statistics, the NC received a sum of 50 lakh rupees through electoral bonds from the Bharti Group on April 29, 2019.
Confirming the receipt of funds, the NC treasurer acknowledged the contribution from the company, albeit noting its location outside of Jammu and Kashmir.
Contrastingly, The People's Democratic Party (PDP) did not report any contributions via electoral bonds.
Abdul Majeed Kosheen, the State Secretary, informed the Election Commission through a letter that the party had not received any donations in the form of electoral bonds since the inception of the scheme until September 20, 2023.
This revelation solidifies the NC's position as the singular regional party in Jammu & Kashmir to have benefitted from the electoral bonds scheme.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission's latest data release includes crucial information such as the issuance dates, fund denominations, amounts of bonds, and the issuing State Bank of India (SBI) branch.
However, it notably excludes the electoral bond numbers, crucial for linking contributors to beneficiaries.
While some parties disclosed their contributors in the data provided to the Election Commission, others did not.
The data further indicates that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) garnered the highest sum, approximately 6986 crore, through the electoral bonds scheme, which has since been discontinued under the directives of the Supreme Court of India.
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