BJP received Electoral Bonds from companies marked ‘high risk’ by Finance Ministry: Data
Fresh data released by the Election Commission (EC) on March 21 has brought to light startling revelations regarding the funding of political parties in India through electoral bonds. According to the disclosed information, several parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), have received funds from companies marked as 'high risk' by the Union Ministry of Finance for violating rules under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Companies Marked 'High Risk' by Ministry of Finance
Among the companies identified as 'high risk' by the Ministry's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in 2018, a significant number were found to have purchased electoral bonds to fund political parties. Notably, one such company, Renuka Investment Finance Limited, remained classified as a 'high-risk financial institution' by the ministry from 2018 to 2022 and contributed funds to the BJP.
Details of Companies and Contributions
The EC's data reveals a pattern of electoral bond purchases by various companies, raising concerns about the integrity of political financing. Here is a breakdown of some of the key findings:
Renuka Investment Finance Limited
That company, Renuka Investment Finance Limited, registered in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra, bought electoral bonds worth Rs 5 crore on April 12, 2019.
The EC’s March 21 data has shown that it had funnelled the entire sum to the BJP.
Kamna Credits and Promoters Pvt. Ltd.
This company, like the rest of the 17 firms listed below, also featured in the 2018 list of the FIU for “non-compliance with PMLA and PML rules i.e., non-registration of principal officers”.
On January 4, 2022, this Kolkata-based company bought electoral bonds worth Rs 11.5 crore for Congress; Rs 7 crore for Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS); Rs 6 crore for All India Trinamool Congress (AITC); Rs 5 crore for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD); and Rs 1 crore for the BJP.
Innocent Merchandise Pvt Ltd.
Yet another ‘high-risk’ company named by the ministry’s watchdog unit in 2018 for violating PMLA rules was Innocent Merchandise Pvt Ltd.
Also a Kolkata-based company, it had picked up electoral bonds worth Rs 25 lakh for the AITC on April 12, 2019.
Almighty Finance and Investment Pvt. Ltd.
This too is a Kolkata-based company. It had purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 30 lakh on July 5, 2019 for the AITC.
Arihant Enterprises Ltd.
Arihant Enterprises Ltd is also a Kolkata-based company; it had bought electoral bonds for Rs 40 lakh on April 12, 2019, a day after the first phase of the 2019 general elections was completed. The EC’s latest data has held up that it had donated the entire sum to the BJP.
Asish Finance Pvt. Ltd.
This is also a Kolkata-registered company. It bought electoral bonds worth Rs 7 crore out of which Rs 5 crore went to the AITC, and the rest (Rs 2 crore) to the Congress.
Authum Investment & Infrastructure Limited
A Mumbai-registered company, it purchased electoral bonds for Rs 10 crore on April 7, 2022. Several assembly elections and bye-elections were held across different states, including in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, after April 2022.
On January 24, 2023, it again bought bonds for Rs 15 crore. Between 2022-23, it purchased bonds worth Rs 25 crore.
The EC’s record now shows that the entire amount of Rs 25 crore went to the BJP.
Bansal Business Pvt. Ltd.
Yet another Kolkata-based company, it acquired electoral bonds for Rs 50 lakh on January 3, 2022 for the Congress.
Clix Securities Pvt. Ltd.
This is also a Kolkata-registered company; it had bought electoral bonds on January 3, 2022 worth Rs 35 lakh for the Congress.
Crochet Trade and Investment Ltd.
Registered in Kolkata’s Lal Bazar area, Crochet Trade and Investment Ltd. had picked up electoral bonds on October 8, 2021 and July 7, 2023. The EC data shows it had donated Rs 2 crore to the AITC, and then again Rs 1.5 crore to the party.
Jupiter Merchantile Pvt. Ltd.
Also a Kolkata-based company, it purchased bonds worth Rs 25 lakh on April 17, 2019. However, the data uploaded by the EC on its website on March 21 doesn’t show to which party the amount went.
Lifeline Marketing Pvt. Ltd.
Another Kolkata-based company, it bought electoral bonds worth Rs 1 crore for the AITC, and Rs 1 crore for the Congress.
Manu Vyapar Pvt. Ltd.
Also registered in Kolkata, this company picked up electoral bonds for three parties – Rs 2 crore worth of bonds for the BJD, Rs 2 crore worth for the Congress, and Rs 1 crore worth for the AITC.
Pluto Finance Pvt. Ltd.
This Kolkata-based company bought bonds from the State Bank of India (SBI) worth Rs 24 lakh on July 6, 2021.
On January 4, 2024, it picked up more bonds worth Rs 25 lakhs.
A day later, it picked yet more bonds, worth Rs 50 lakh. Between 2021 and 2024, it had purchased bonds for Rs 99 lakh.
The March 21 data shows the entire sum went to AITC.
Ramoli Dealer Pvt Ltd.
Ramoli Dealers is also a Kolkata registered company. It had purchased electoral bonds for Rs 25 lakh on January 3, 2022 for the Congress.
Rani Sati Mercantile Pvt. Ltd.
A Kolkata company, it bought electoral bonds for Rs 30 lakh on October 5, 2021.
Again, it purchased bonds on January 6, 2024 for Rs 75 lakh. In all, it had picked bonds for Rs 1.05 crore. The entire sum was pumped into funding the AITC.
Right Aid Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
This Kolkata Lal Bazar company too bought electoral bonds. On October 8, 2021, it picked up bonds worth Rs 1.5 crore for the AITC.
On July 10, 2023, it bought more bonds worth Rs 1.5 crore for the BRS.
Silvertone Securities Pvt. Ltd.
This too is a company registered in Kolkata’s Lal Bazar. It purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 2 crore for AITC; Rs 1.2 crore for the BJD; and Rs 30 lakh for BRS.
Sreenath Finvest Pvt. Ltd.
This Kolkata-based company purchased bonds for Rs 10 lakh on July 7, 2021.
On January 7, 2022, it bought Rs 20 lakh worth bonds.
In all, it purchased electoral bonds for Rs 30 lakh. The entire sum went to the Congress.
Sudha Commercial Company Ltd.
Also a Kolkata-registered company, it acquired electoral bonds for Rs 30 lakh on April 20, 2019. However, the March 21 data doesn’t show which political party it funded.
Sweta Estates Pvt. Ltd.
Registered in Aero City, Delhi, this company bought electoral bonds for Rs 2 crore in two lots on April 16, 2019 for the BJP.
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EC dismisses scope for wrongdoing at strongrooms; prohibitory orders around Kolkata counting centres
Kolkata (PTI): A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spent hours at the EVM strongroom of her Bhabanipur constituency alleging possibilities of malpractices, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Friday asserted there is no scope for wrongdoing at the counting centres.
Following tensions around two counting centres in Kolkata late on Thursday, police clamped prohibitory orders on gatherings outside all seven strongrooms in the city.
Stating that round-the-clock CCTV monitoring of strongrooms was in place, Agarwal dismissed the allegations as "baseless".
TMC spokesperson and Beleghata constituency candidate Kunal Ghosh said that party workers and poll aspirants were keeping a strict vigil at the counting centres, where the EVMs are stored in strongrooms, upon directions of party supremo Mamata Banerjee.
"There is no scope for any wrongdoing given the arrangements made to secure the EVMs. The Centres have been kept under thorough CCTV coverage and their live-streamed footage can be seen from outside," Agarwal told reporters.
"One should have reason and evidence for making allegations," he said, maintaining that there were no grounds for levelling charges of EVM tampering or pre-counting malpractice.
Two counting centres in Kolkata witnessed high drama late on Thursday evening after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
Mamata Banerjee herself landed up at the Sakhawat Memorial School counting centre and stayed put there for about four hours. She emerged from the premises past midnight and warned against any attempts to tamper with the counting process, demanding greater transparency.
TMC leaders and candidates Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents.
Matters came to a head after a large number of supporters from both TMC and BJP camps gathered outside the venue, shouting slogans till they were dispersed by security forces.
The EC, however, dismissed the claim, clarifying that poll officials were engaged in the task of segregating postal ballots as per due process and the strongrooms remained secure, asserting all political parties for the mandatory segregation activity were duly notified.
On Friday, Kolkata Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS around all seven designated strong rooms in the city.
As per the order issued by Police Commissioner Ajay Nand, the restrictions prohibited the assembly of five or more persons within a 200-metre radius of each strongroom, along with a ban on processions, demonstrations, and carrying of weapons or explosive materials.
The measure, which aims to prevent any breach of peace, violence, or disturbance during the storage of ballot papers and polled EVMs, will remain in force until the commencement of counting on May 4.
Besides the two counting centres in question, the prohibitory orders were also clamped around the Hastings House complex, APC Polytechnic College, St. Thomas Boys' High School, Ballygunge Government High School and the David Hare Training College counting premises.
A senior police officer said enhanced security arrangements have been made at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, the counting centre for several assembly seats in north and east Kolkata housing EVM strong rooms.
"Additional CAPFs and armed police forces have also been deployed under the supervision of an additional commissioner and a deputy commissioner of police," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Kolkata, Rupesh Kumar, told reporters after visiting the area.
Expressing apprehension that unauthorised movements might occur when a section of postal ballots is brought in the evening, Kunal Ghosh said on Friday morning that the party's polling agents and candidates have been alerted about the matter.
Minister Shashi Panja, who also arrived at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in the morning, maintained that "transparency" should be ensured for all strongroom activities.
Ghosh told reporters on Friday that though they had seen some movement in a strongroom that allegedly stored postal ballots, there was no such movement on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Banerjee's challenger at Bhabanipur and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari took a dig at the chief minister for her late-night visit to the counting centre.
"I want to reassure the people of Bhabanipur and of West Bengal that the TMC candidate and outgoing chief minister was prevented from taking any additional advantage. Despite her best intentions to the contrary, she wasn't allowed to act in violation of rules," Adhikari wrote on social media platforms, posting a picture of Banerjee sitting at what appeared to be an area outside the counting centre strong room.
"Till such time she was present there, my election agent, advocate Surjyanil Das personally positioned himself at the spot keeping a tight watch on her so that she isn't able to take recourse to improper means," he added.
Security forces kept a strict vigil in and around counting centres and strongrooms in Kolkata and other districts where EVM machines used in the state assembly elections are stored, an official said.
Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, which saw high drama till the early hours of Friday with the chief minister spending several hours at the counting centre, wore a peaceful look in the morning with security personnel guarding the area.
