BJP's earning accounted for 85 per cent of total income of national parties in 2024-25: ADR Report
New Delhi (PTI): The ruling BJP declared an income of Rs 6769.14 crore in FY 2024-25, the highest among national parties, while the Congress was a distant second, declaring an income of around Rs 918.28 crore, said a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
According to the report analysing the declarations made by political parties to the Election Commission, six national parties (BJP, INC, CPI(M), AAP, BSP and NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore in 2024-25, and the BJP accounted for 85.03 per cent of it.
The BJP spent around 55.76 per cent of its income, amounting to Rs 3774.58 crore, while the Congress spent around 1111.94 crore, which is 21.09 per cent (Rs 193.66 crore) more than its total income.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) reported a total income of Rs 172.60 crore during the year, while its total expenditure amounted to Rs 173.86 crore, Rs 1.26 cr (0.73 per cent) less than its income.
The BSP's total income was Rs 58.58 crore, while its expenditure for the year was Rs 106.30 crore. The party's expenditure for that year exceeded its total income by Rs 47.71 crore (81.45 per cent).
AAP reported a total income of Rs 39.28 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 36.46 crore, meaning the party spent 92.83 per cent of its total income. The National People's Party (NPEP) declared a total income of Rs 2.18 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 1.19 crore, indicating the party spent 54.72 per cent of its total income.
The six national parties have declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore, collected from all over India.
The Congress was second with an income of Rs 918.28 crore, which forms 11.53 per cent of the total income of national parties, while the NPEP declared the least income of Rs 2.18 crore, which forms 0.02 per cent of the total.
Between 2023-24 and 2024-25, the BJP's income increased by 55.95 per cent (Rs 2428.6768 crore), while the CPI(M) registered a marginal rise of 2.96 per cent (Rs 4.96 crore).
During the same period, the income of the Congress declined by 25.05 per cent (Rs 306.83 crore), and the BSP's income decreased by 9.56 per cent (Rs 6.19 crore).
AAP's income witnessed a significant growth of 73.20 per cent (Rs 16.60 crore).
In FY 2024-25, national parties declared a total income of Rs 7960.09 crore, of which 85.08 per cent (Rs 6772.53 crore) came from donations/contributions and 14.92 per cent (Rs 1187.56 crore) from other sources.
The BJP derived 90.48 per cent of its total income from donations amounting to Rs 6124.85 crore, while AAP received 99.85 per cent (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP received 97.74 per cent (Rs 2.14 crore) of their total income through contributions.
In contrast, the BSP reported 100 per cent of its income (Rs 58.58 crore) from other sources with no donations, whereas INC received 56.86 per cent (Rs 522.13 crore) from donations and 43.14 per cent (Rs 396.15 crore) from other sources, and CPI(M) received 48.77 per cent (Rs 84.17 crore) from donations and 51.23 per cent (Rs 88.42 crore) from other sources.
National parties that received the highest income from donations/contributions include the BJP (Rs 6124.85 crore), Congress (Rs 522.13 crore), CPI(M) (Rs 84.17 crore), AAP (Rs 39.22 crore) and NPEP (Rs 2.14 crore).
The collection from issuing coupons, Rs 350.12 crore declared by the Congress, formed 38.12 per cent of its total income during 2024-25.
The report said the most common and popular items of expenditure for national parties are the election expenses and administrative/general expenses.
The BJP spent Rs 3335.36 crore on election/general propaganda, followed by Rs 323.05 crore for administrative costs.
The Congress spent Rs 896.22 crore on election expenditure, followed by expenses towards administrative and general expenses of around Rs 159.68 crore.
CPI(M) spent Rs 78.11 crore on administrative and general expenses followed by Rs 51.03 crore on Employee Cost.
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Actor Rahul's death: Film body demands fair probe, files police complaint
Kolkata (PTI): Amidst the controversy over the accidental death of actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee during an outdoor shoot near Digha in Purba Medinipur district, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum on Saturday lodged a police complaint against the producers in connection with the incident.
Senior forum members, including actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Santilal Mukherjee, told a press meet outside Regent Park police station that the complaint called for a fair and transparent probe into the tragedy.
"We want the real truth and exact circumstances behind the incident to come to light," a forum member said. Actor Rituparna Sengupta was also present at the briefing.
Banerjee's wife, Priyanka Sarkar, was also present but did not speak to the media.
"On March 29, during the shooting of television serial 'Bholey Baba Par Karega' at Talsari near Digha, our colleague and forum member, actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, tragically passed away due to an accidental drowning," the forum said in a statement on Friday night.
"In this regard, the forum, on behalf of its members, sought legal advice to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding the incident. Accordingly, a formal letter was sent to the production house.... on April 1 seeking clarification," the statement said.
"However, the response received on April 2 was found to be unsatisfactory and inadequate. Since then, various opinions and concerns have also been expressed on social media regarding the incident," the forum said.
Mukherjee said in light of this, and after further legal consultation, the forum has decided to initiate legal proceedings.
Chatterjee said the forum would consult lawyers to decide the next course of action.
Meanwhile, several members of the Bengali film industry held a procession from Technicians' Studio to Radha Studio, a distance of around 1 km, carrying placards reading 'Justice for Rahul'.
The rally was led by several known faces of the industry, including actor-director Aparna Sen, Anjan Dutt, director Srijit Mukherjee, Kaushik Ganguly, actor-director Parambrata Chatterjee, actor Rudranil Ghosh, actor Riddhi Sen, actor-theatre personality Kaushik Sen, among others.
The rally was supported by technician federation director Swarup Biswas.
Earlier, the makers of 'Bholey Baba Par Karega' had expressed grief over Banerjee’s death and assured that the circumstances surrounding the incident would be examined transparently.
"The entire cast and crew are in profound mourning. We request a few days to gather accounts of those present so that a comprehensive and accurate report can be presented," the producers had said, adding that a representative nominated by the actor’s family or the forum could observe the process.
Police officials said according to eyewitness accounts, Banerjee and a co-actor were filming a dance sequence in knee-deep water when they slipped into an underwater ditch. Both were taken to a hospital in Digha, but Banerjee could not be saved.
Banerjee rose to fame with the 2008 Bengali film 'Chirodini Tumi Je Amar', directed by Raj Chakraborty, which starred him opposite Priyanka Sarkar and became a major hit.
Rahul, who had started his career in early 2000, acted in several critically acclaimed Bengali films and TV soaps after the blockbuster success of Chirodini in 2008 and also started hosting a podcast which gained popularity.
