Politics · India Bureau
Congress party's large donations plummet 75% in fiscal 2025-26
The Indian National Congress has experienced its sharpest annual decline in high-value donations in a decade, with contributions exceeding Rs 20,000 dropping to Rs 130.69 crore from Rs 517.39 crore the previous year. The steep fall marks a significant reversal after two years of stronger fundraising performance.
LSN India ·
New Delhi — The Congress party's fundraising from major donors has hit a decade-low, with disclosed contributions above Rs 20,000 plummeting nearly 75 per cent to Rs 130.69 crore in the 2025-26 financial year, according to data filed with the Election Commission of India.
This represents the party's steepest annual decline in such contributions over the past ten years. The sharp fall follows a strong fundraising cycle in 2024-25, when the party received Rs 517.39 crore in similar donations during an election year. Analysis of election filings over the preceding 12 financial years shows the last comparable contraction occurred in 2015-16, when Congress's disclosed donations dropped approximately 86 per cent from Rs 141.46 crore.
The two-year fundraising surge preceding the latest decline saw Congress collect Rs 281.48 crore in 2023-24, which rose substantially to Rs 517.39 crore during the 2024-25 general election cycle. The subsequent fall reflects typical post-election patterns as political parties' donation cycles fluctuate with electoral calendars and donor priorities.
In comparison, the Bharatiya Janata Party received Rs 6,074.02 crore in donations exceeding Rs 20,000 during 2024-25, nearly 12 times the Congress party's collection for the same period. The BJP's contribution figures for the current financial year remain unavailable pending submission of its filings to the Election Commission.