Congress Donations Fall 75% to Rs 130.69 Crore in 2025-26, Marking Sharpest Decline in a Decade
Contributions above Rs 20,000 to the Congress dropped sharply after a strong election-year collection in 2024-25, with lower funding from Prudent Electoral Trust accounting for much of the fall.
The Congress received Rs 130.69 crore in donations exceeding Rs 20,000 during FY 2025-26, a decline of nearly 75% from the Rs 517.39 crore it received in the previous financial year. This is the steepest year-on-year fall in the party's disclosed contributions in a decade, according to an analysis of its filings with the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The latest figures also highlight the substantial funding gap between the Congress and the BJP. In FY 2024-25, the BJP received Rs 6,074.02 crore in donations exceeding Rs 20,000, nearly 12 times the amount received by the Congress. However, the BJP's contribution report for FY 2025-26 has not yet been made available by the ECI, making a comparison between the two parties for the latest financial year unavailable.
Prudent Electoral Trust Accounts for Much of the Decline
A significant part of the decline in Congress donations can be attributed to lower contributions from the Prudent Electoral Trust. Its donations to the party fell from Rs 216.34 crore in FY 2024-25 to Rs 25 crore in FY 2025-26, a reduction of around 88%. Prudent was the only electoral trust listed in the Congress's latest contribution report.
Other major contributors included Star Cement, which donated Rs 5 crore, Sajjan Bhajanka (Rs 4 crore) and Prem Kumar Bhajanka (Rs 2 crore).
Election-Year Collections Had Boosted Previous Donations
The decline follows a sharp rise in Congress donations over the previous two financial years. The party received Rs 281.48 crore in FY 2023-24, before its declared contributions increased to Rs 517.39 crore in FY 2024-25, the year of the Lok Sabha elections. An examination of the previous 12 financial years shows that the last comparable decline occurred in FY 2015-16, when donations fell by around 86% from Rs 141.46 crore in the preceding financial year.
Despite the latest drop, the Congress's disclosed donations in FY 2025-26 were not the lowest during the period under review. The party received Rs 74.52 crore in FY 2020-21, Rs 95.46 crore in FY 2021-22 and Rs 79.92 crore in FY 2022-23. The BJP received higher disclosed donations than the Congress in each of the 12 financial years examined.
What the Donation Figures Do Not Include
The Rs 130.69 crore figure covers only contributions exceeding Rs 20,000 and should not be treated as the Congress's total income. The figures also exclude electoral bond receipts, which the party reported separately while the scheme was in operation. Based on the figures under review, the latest disclosed contribution collection is the lowest since FY 2020-21.
The Congress's contribution report does not capture all its sources of income, including smaller donations, membership fees, coupon collections and interest earnings. The party's audited accounts for FY 2025-26 have not yet been uploaded. These are expected to provide a more comprehensive picture of its finances. Coupon collections alone contributed Rs 350.12 crore to the party's funds in FY 2024-25.
(With PTI Inputs)
