The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not set any target for its donation drive that has emerged as a talking point after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s contribution to the cause, but it wants to collect “as much as possible” to prepare for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a senior functionary says.
The functionary has also suggested that there is no direct relation between the campaign and the Supreme Court’s decision to withdraw electoral bonds for political funding, reacting to critics who claim the legal ban spurred the BJP’s move aimed at collecting funds ahead of national polls due this summer.
“The BJP’s donation drive is a continuous process. But, of late, we have gone aggressive…However, I wouldn’t say there’s any relation with electoral bonds being announced illegal. There’s an election at the doorstep, and even the Election Commission accepts that it takes money to fight an election. Hence, the push,” BJP treasurer Rajesh Agarwal told News18.
“There is no target to achieve. We would like to collect as much as possible, through legal means,” Agarwal added.
PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have donated Rs 2,000 each to the party fund, while BJP chief JP Nadda — whose X post set off the drive — has contributed Rs 1,000. On the NaMo App, one can donate as low as Rs 5 as part of the campaign.
“I am happy to contribute to @BJP4India and strengthen our efforts to build a Viksit Bharat. I also urge everyone to be a part of #DonationForNationBuilding through the NaMoApp!” PM Modi said in a March 3 post on X, referring to his government’s stated aim of making India a developed country by 2047.
Shah’s tweet, which came on the same day, said: “Every person’s support is crucial to building a Viksit Bharat. Under the leadership of Modi Ji, the BJP has been working towards making Bharat a developed nation. Let us all stand shoulder-to-shoulder and make the #DonationForNationBuilding a nationwide campaign using the NaMo App.”
In 2019, the BJP announced it had a total of 180 million, or 18 crore, primary members — making it the world’s largest political party, and leaving the Communist Party of China at a distant second. That year, the BJP added roughly 7 million, or 70 lakh, new members that helped it reach the 18-crore mark.
The BJP’s primary membership is believed to have grown beyond the 18-crore figure. But even if one goes by the 2019 number, a miniscule contribution by each and every party member could lead to a windfall for the BJP. For example, even if half of BJP members (9 crore people) donate Rs 100 each to the party fund, it would amount to Rs 900 crore. And if all of them donate Rs 100 each, it would make the BJP gain Rs 1,800 crore — which is substantially more than what the party received through electoral bonds in 2022-23.
Ahead of the crucial elections — in which PM Modi is seeking a third straight term — the donation drive could help the BJP in two ways. First, as Agarwal suggested, it would help the party collect money for polls. Second, it could give BJP members a sense of belonging — that the party is fighting the elections with their money.
The move comes in the backdrop of the much-debated Supreme Court decision to scrap electoral bonds last month. In 2022-23, the BJP earned the highest amount among Indian parties – Rs 1,294 crore – from electoral bonds, which allowed citizens to donate to political parties anonymously. At Rs 529 crore, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) came a distant second. The Congress came fifth with Rs 171 crore.
Considering the near entirety of the existence of electoral bonds, from 2017-18 to 2022-2023, the BJP was the highest recipient at Rs 6,564 crore. the Congress was at a distant second, at Rs 1,122 crore, during this period.
Ever since Nadda’s appeal on social media, BJP leaders such as Smriti Irani, Jay Panda, Harsh Sanghavi, Vinod Tawde, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Jitin Prasada, Sunil Deodhar, K Annamalai, G Kishan Reddy, Anurag Thakur, Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal, among others, have contributed through NaMo App, which says the donations are exempt from Income Tax u/s 80 GGB for companies and u/s 80 GGC for others as per Income Tax Act, 1961.
Donation options on the app range from Rs 5 to Rs 2,000. One can contribute Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 as well. Any contribution above Rs 2,000 will guide the donor to the donation page of the BJP from the NaMo App.
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