NEW DELHI: The “cash troves” of political parties may soon come under closer scrutiny, with the Election Commission (EC) proposing that the limit for accepting anonymous donations be slashed from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000.
The proposal, if accepted by the government, will reduce the size of the window available to political parties to accept donations without having to reveal the donor and improve transparency in political funding.
The EC, led by Nasim Zaidi, also wants parties to maintain accounts for all donations, get their accounts audited and submit the audited books to it on an annual basis. The poll panel wants the government to make these changes by amending the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
“Anonymous contributions above or equal to the amount of Rs 2,000 should be prohibited,” the EC recommendation said. The feeling in the EC is that if crores of citizens can be made to brave hardships due to demonetisation that targets black money, political parties too should be part of the clean-up. The EC’s recommendations are already with the Law Commission.
