Regional political parties received a total of Rs 91.37 crore in donations in 2016-17, with the Shiv Sena leading the chart followed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), says a report. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report released on Tuesday, the total amount of donations declared by regional parties, including both under and above Rs 20,000, was Rs 91.37 crore received through 6,339 donations.
A report in the The Indian Express stated that the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) saw the maximum percentage increase in their income from donations between 2015-16 and 2016-17. Donations to AGP increased by 7,183 per cent, followed by SAD for which it was 5,842 per cent and Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) that saw an increase of 596 per cent, the Delhi-based think-tank said in the report.
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Maximum donations in cash was declared by the All India NR Congress (AINRC), which collected a total of Rs 65 lakh, followed by AGP with Rs 41.2 lakh and Naga People’s Front (NPF) Rs 41 lakh, it said. Among States, donors from Assam made the highest donations of Rs 72.7 lakh in cash followed by Puducherry at Rs 65.3 lakh.
In its recommendations, ADR said that the national and regional parties should, ideally, lead by example by filing complete and correct statements of donations to the ECI well in time for public scrutiny so as to encourage financial transparency.