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Electoral bonds: Congress claims mismatch in entries of donor, recipient data
Congress leader Amitabh Dubey said that the donor's file has 18,871 entries, while the recipient's file has 20,421 entries.
Hours after the Election Commission released electoral bonds data, Congress leader Amitabh Dubey on Thursday alleged a discrepancy in the number of entries in donor and recipient files.
He also asked why the data shared with the Election Commission pertains to a period from April 2019 even though the scheme was introduced in 2017.
"The donors' file has 18,871 entries, the recipients' file has 20,421 entries. Why the discrepancy @TheOfficialSBI?" Amitabh Dubey, in charge of research and monitoring in the Congress' communication department, wrote on X.
Congress MP and AICC in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Manickam Tagore also criticised the State of Bank of India over the alleged discrepancy.
Also Read | Election Commission uploads data on electoral bonds; check full list of donors
Sharing Dubey's post, Tagore wrote: “Ah, yes, the electoral bond scheme, where transparency meets selective amnesia. Donors file: 18,871 entries. Recipients file: 20,421 entries. Coincidence? I think not.”
"@TheOfficialSBI, you've truly mastered the art of hiding in plain sight," he added.
Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV also took a swipe at the government over the electoral bonds data.
"The meaning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Na khaunga na khane dunga' meant that “I will threaten companies, get ED raids done, collect donations, and keep filling BJP's coffers in the name of doing business,” Srinivas wrote on X.
Electoral bonds data
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday uploaded data of electoral bonds on its website, a day before the deadline set by the Supreme Court in the high-profile case playing out weeks before general elections.
From a lottery company with operations in multiple states, to a company that built the Kaleshwaram dam, to large industrial conglomerates, the top five purchasers of electoral bonds spent more than ₹3,446 crore between April 2019 and February 2024, the data showed.
Also Read | What does Electoral Bond data published by the ECI tell us?
The highest donor, with bonds worth ₹1,368 crore, was Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited, a company run by Santiago Martin, commonly known by the moniker “Lottery King”.
The company was the subject of an Enforcement Directorate investigation since 2019, with raids carried out in Coimbatore and Chennai in May 2023 for alleged violations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
