BRS tops regional parties’ income list with ₹685 cr in FY24
HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) declared the highest income among regional political parties in FY 2023-24 at ₹685.52 crore, accounting for 27.07% of the total income of all 40 parties analysed, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) followed with ₹646.39 crore (25.53%), while the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) reported ₹297.81 crore (11.76%). Together, the three parties accounted for nearly two-thirds of the ₹2,532.09 crore total income declared by 40 regional parties.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) set October 31, 2024 as the deadline for filing annual audit reports. While 20 parties submitted on time and another 20 filed with delays of up to 216 days, audit reports of the remaining 20 parties were not available on the ECI website as of September 10, 2025 — 313 days past the deadline. Defaulters include the Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Indian Union Muslim League, and Zoram Nationalist Party.
Expenditure patterns
The 40 parties together reported expenditure of ₹1,320.96 crore. YSR Congress spent the most at ₹295.77 crore (22.39%), followed by BRS with ₹254.91 crore (19.30%), AITC with ₹231.47 crore (17.52%), DMK with ₹200.07 crore (15.15%), and TDP with ₹121.10 crore (9.17%). Twelve parties, including YSR Congress, DMK and JD(U), spent more than their income. YSR Congress overshot its income by 54.82%. The Goa Forward Party declared no income but reported expenditure of ₹1.56 lakh.
Electoral bonds dominate income
Voluntary contributions formed 83.64% (₹2,117.85 crore) of the total income, with electoral bonds contributing the bulk — ₹1,796.02 crore or 70.93%. Only 10 regional parties, including BRS, AITC, BJD, TDP and DMK, declared income through bonds. ADR observed that at least 16 parties defaulted every year between FY 2017-18 and FY 2023-24 in filing annual reports. It recommended stronger enforcement, including cancellation of tax exemptions under Section 13A of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and derecognition of defaulting parties.
