BRS tops income, AITC expenditure chart among regional parties in FY 22-23: ADR report
New Delhi (PTI): The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has topped the income chart among regional parties for the financial year 2022-23 with Rs 737.67 crore, 42.38 per cent of the total, according to poll rights body ADR.
The top five parties with the highest expenditure are All India Trinamool Congress which spent Rs 181.18 crore or 37.66 per cent, followed by YSR-Congress which spent Rs 79.32 crore or 16.49 per cent, BRS, which spent Rs 57.47 crore or 11.94 per cent, DMK, which spent Rs 52.62 crore or 10.94 per cent, and the Samajwadi Party, which spent Rs 31.41 crore or 6.53 per cent of the total expenditure, ADR said.
In a revealing analysis of the financial health of India's regional political parties, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has disclosed detailed income and expenditure reports for 39 out of 57 regional parties for the fiscal year 2022-23.
After BRS, the TMC had the highest income of Rs 333.45 crore or 19.16 per cent, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) reported an income of Rs 214.35 crore or 12.32 per cent of the total income of the 39 regional parties analysed in the ADR report.
Collectively, the top five parties accounted for Rs 1,541.32 crore, or 88.56 per cent of the total income of the parties analysed while the total declared income of the 39 regional parties stood at Rs 1,740.48 crore, according to the analysis.
The ECI had set October 31, 2023, as the deadline for submission of annual audited accounts of political parties, however, only 16 of them adhered to the time limit.
Twenty-three parties submitted their reports late, with delays ranging from three to 150 days.
The audit reports for 18 regional parties, including prominent ones like Shiv Sena (SHS), Bodoland People's Front (BPF), Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Nationalist Congress Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT), were not available on the ECI website at the time of the report's preparation, the ADR said.
A total of 19 regional parties declared unspent income for the fiscal year.
BRS had the highest unspent income of Rs 680.20 crore, followed by Biju Janata Dal with Rs 171.06 crore and DMK with Rs 161.72 crore.
Conversely, 20 parties reported expenditures exceeding their income, with Janta Dal (Secular) spending 490.43 per cent more than its income.
Voluntary contributions, including donations and electoral bonds, were the primary sources of income for the parties, amounting to Rs 1,522.46 crore or 87.47 per cent of the total income.
Of this, Rs 1,285.83 crore came from electoral bonds. Only eight regional parties declared receiving donations through electoral bonds.
ADR's report recommended that the ECI enforce stricter deadlines and penalise parties for late or non-submission of audit reports.
A full disclosure of donor details under the Right to Information Act is also urged to ensure transparency in political funding.
The report calls for rigorous enforcement of laws like Section 13A of the Income Tax Act and Section 29 (C) of the Representation of People Act, which mandate financial disclosure by political parties.
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Child rape-murder: Hundreds protest on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune; traffic hit
Pune (PTI): Hundreds of people blocked the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune to protest the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl, leading to traffic disruption on the busy route for about four hours.
The girl's family members and other demonstrators placed the body on the road in the Navale Bridge area on Saturday evening and demanded stringent punishment for the 65-year-old man arrested in the case.
Several videos surfaced showing a huge traffic jam on the highway.
Later, the victim's last rites were performed at the Vaikunt crematorium here shortly after midnight amid tight police security.
The accused man, who works as a labourer and has a criminal record, allegedly lured the girl with the promise of food on Friday in the Bhor tehsil of Pune district. He then took her to a cattle enclosure where he allegedly sexually assaulted her and later killed her by hitting her with a stone, according to the police.
He was arrested based on CCTV footage from a private residence, which captured him with the child.
A case was registered against him under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he has been remanded in police custody till May 7.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar on Saturday met the family of the victim, assuring them of strict action against the accused and a fast-track trial.
Describing the incident as "shocking" and a "blot on humanity", Pawar said the government stands firmly with the victim's family and will ensure justice.
She also spoke to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a fast-track court trial so that the accused receives the harshest punishment.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde directed Pune rural police to gather concrete evidence to build a watertight case and conduct the trial in a fast-track court.
Efforts should be made to ensure the accused gets the death penalty, a statement quoted Shinde as saying.
