Congress Donations Plunge Nearly 75% To Rs 130.69 Crore In 2025-26, Sharpest Fall In A Decade

Congress’s receipts from donations above Rs 20,000 dropped nearly 75 per cent to Rs 130.69 crore in 2025-26, its steepest annual fall in such contributions in a decade.

The drop matters because these disclosures offer one of the clearest public indicators of how much large-ticket funding a party is attracting.

An analysis of the party’s filings with the Election Commission showed the Congress had received Rs 517.39 crore under the same head in 2024-25.

The latest figure also marks a sharp reversal after two years of stronger collections. It does not, however, capture the party’s full finances, which can also include smaller donations, membership fees, coupon collections and interest.

Donation Trends

The slide follows a recent rise. Congress received Rs 281.48 crore in disclosed donations in 2023-24. That rose to Rs 517.39 crore in 2024-25, the year Lok Sabha elections were held.

A comparison with the previous 12 financial years shows the last steeper fall came in 2015-16. In that year, Congress’s disclosed donations dropped roughly 86 per cent from Rs 141.46 crore in the previous year. The latest decline thus follows two years of higher collections.

BJP Funding Gap

The funding gap to the BJP remains wide.

The ruling party received Rs 6,074.02 crore in donations above Rs 20,000 in 2024-25, nearly 12 times the Congress total for that year.

The BJP’s matching figure for 2025-26 is not available yet because the party’s contribution report has not been made public by the Election Commission. Across the 12 financial years examined, the BJP collected more than the Congress in each year.

Prudent Trust Drop

One donor explains much of the fall.

Funding through Prudent Electoral Trust accounted for a substantial share of the Congress decline in 2025-26. Its contribution slid from Rs 216.34 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 25 crore in 2025-26, a drop of about 88 per cent.

Prudent was the only electoral trust listed in the party’s latest contribution report. Among other large contributors, Star Cement gave Rs 5 crore, Sajjan Bhajanka contributed Rs 4 crore and Prem Kumar Bhajanka donated Rs 2 crore.

Earlier Low Years

The latest figure is not the lowest.

The Congress’s 2025-26 collection was sharply below the previous year, but disclosed donations were lower in several earlier years. These included Rs 74.52 crore in 2020-21, Rs 95.46 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 79.92 crore in 2022-23.

Those figures exclude electoral bonds, which were reported separately when the scheme operated. Including bond receipts in the earlier years, the Congress’s latest collection in 2025-26 was its lowest since 2020-21.

The contribution report also does not show the party’s total income. That includes smaller donations, membership fees, coupon collections and interest. The Congress’s audited account for 2025-26, which has not been uploaded yet, is needed to establish its overall financial position. In 2024-25, coupon collections alone brought the party Rs 350.12 crore.

(With PTI Inputs)