New Delhi: The Congress received Rs 130.69 crore in donations exceeding Rs 20,000 during the financial year 2025-26, marking a nearly 75 per cent decline from the Rs 517.39 crore it collected through such contributions in 2024-25. The fall was the steepest annual drop in the party’s disclosed donations in a decade, an analysis of its filings with the Election Commission shows.
The latest figures follow two years of increased contributions. Congress received Rs 281.48 crore in donations above Rs 20,000 in 2023-24, when the Lok Sabha elections were held, before collections rose to Rs 517.39 crore in 2024-25.
A comparison of the party’s contribution reports over the preceding 12 financial years shows that the last sharper annual decline occurred in 2015-16. Its disclosed donations fell by around 86 per cent that year, from Rs 141.46 crore in the previous financial year.
Prudent Electoral Trust Contributions To Congress Drop 88%
A major factor behind the latest decline was the sharp reduction in contributions from Prudent Electoral Trust. The trust donated Rs 25 crore to Congress in 2025-26, compared with Rs 216.34 crore in 2024-25, a fall of approximately 88 per cent.
Prudent was the only electoral trust listed in the Congress’s latest contribution report.
Other major contributors during the financial year included Star Cement, which donated Rs 5 crore, Sajjan Bhajanka, who contributed Rs 4 crore, and Prem Kumar Bhajanka, who gave Rs 2 crore.
How Much Did BJP Receive In Donations Compared With Congress?
The BJP received Rs 6,074.02 crore in donations exceeding Rs 20,000 during 2024-25, nearly 12 times the Congress’s collection of Rs 517.39 crore in the same year.
The BJP’s contribution report for 2025-26 has not yet been made public by the Election Commission. Its donations for the latest financial year therefore cannot be compared with the Congress figure at this stage.
The BJP collected more in disclosed donations than the Congress in each of the 12 financial years examined in the analysis.
Is Rs 130.69 Crore Congress’s Lowest Donation Collection?
Despite the steep annual decline, the Congress’s 2025-26 collection was not its lowest in the period examined. The party had recorded lower contributions in several earlier years, including Rs 74.52 crore in 2020-21, Rs 95.46 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 79.92 crore in 2022-23.
The figures cover donations above Rs 20,000 disclosed in contribution reports. They exclude electoral bonds, which were reported separately during the years in which the scheme operated.
When electoral bond receipts from earlier years are included, the Congress’s 2025-26 collection was its lowest since 2020-21.
The contribution report also does not represent the party’s total income. Its overall earnings include other sources such as smaller donations, membership fees, coupon collections and interest.
The Congress’s audited accounts for 2025-26 have not yet been uploaded. Those accounts will be needed to assess the party’s overall financial position. In 2024-25, coupon collections alone contributed Rs 350.12 crore to its income.
