“Though all paties will be seriously hamstrung, it is going to be a level playing field for all of us,” said a leader, requesting anonymity.
An assessment based on income tax filings by parties revealed that during the Lok Sabha elections of 2004, 2009 and 2014, parties collected over Rs 1,000 crore in cash, and the sources of more than 90 per cent of such funds were never disclosed.
Majority of all funds collected by parties was from unknown sources. It is not surprising therefore that most of these contributions are made in cash, said another leader.
ADR said Assembly elections too see huge collection of cash donations by political parties.
“Collectively, during the 71 assembly elections held between 2004 and 2015, political parties declared collecting Rs 2,108 crore in cash (63 per cent of total funds) and Rs 1,245 crore by cheque (37 per cent),” it said.
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:oneindia.com)
