Congress donations plunge 75% to Rs 131 cr, lowest in 3 years

Congress’s reported contributions above Rs 20,000 fell to Rs 130.7 crore in 2025-26. These figures come from the contribution report the party filed with the Election Commission. The measure covers reported donations exceeding the specified threshold, not every possible source of party income.

The sharpest comparison is with 2024-25, when Congress reported Rs 517.4 crore in such contributions. Prudent Electoral Trust supplied Rs 25 crore in 2025-26, while its contribution had been Rs 216 crore the previous year. Other reported contributors included Star Cement, Sajjan Bhajanka and Afnan Constructions.

The fall matters because reported large contributions are one visible part of a party’s funding base. The article notes that Congress also received more than Rs 350 crore from coupon issuance and sales in 2024-25. Its 2025-26 audit report was not yet available, so other funding sources for that year remained unclear.

Congress’s contributions above Rs 20,000 declined by roughly 75% in 2025-26. The party reported Rs 130.7 crore, compared with Rs 517.4 crore in 2024-25. The article also states that the latest total was nearly 53% lower than the amount received in 2023-24.

The Rs 386.7 crore difference between 2024-25 and 2025-26 shows the scale of the contraction. In 2024-25, Prudent Electoral Trust alone contributed Rs 216 crore. In 2025-26, its contribution fell to Rs 25 crore, even though it remained the only electoral trust routing donations to Congress.

The article does not provide the exact 2023-24 total, so that comparison can only be expressed as a percentage. It does show that the fall was not simply a return to the previous year’s level. The 2025-26 total was lower than both comparison points identified in the report.

An electoral trust is an intermediary that receives eligible donations and passes them to political parties. It provides a channel through which donors, particularly companies, can support parties. The article identifies Prudent Electoral Trust as the only electoral trust that routed donations to Congress in 2025-26.

Prudent contributed Rs 25 crore to Congress during that year. That represented 19% of the party’s total reported contribution receipts. In 2024-25, the trust had channelled Rs 216 crore to Congress, accounting for 41.8% of its contributions. These figures show how much one intermediary’s support changed between the two years.

The trust does not represent all Congress funding. Its contribution is part of the reported donations above Rs 20,000, while the party also has other possible sources, including coupon sales. The article says Congress’s 2025-26 audit report was not available, so its complete funding picture could not yet be assessed.

Congress received substantially more reported contributions in 2024-25, when India held a general election. Its contributions above Rs 20,000 rose 84% from 2023-24, reaching Rs 517.4 crore. The article describes that increase as expected in an election year.

Election timing can affect funding because parties typically need money for campaign activity, organization and voter outreach during intense contests. That creates a period when donors may be more willing to provide support. In Congress’s case, Prudent Electoral Trust’s contribution rose to Rs 216 crore in 2024-25, compared with Rs 25 crore in 2025-26.

The following year still included Bihar assembly elections and preparation for contests in Assam, Keralam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry. Yet reported contributions fell sharply. This suggests that the general election produced an especially strong funding effect, although the article does not identify the precise reasons for the later decline.

Congress’s 2025-26 reported funding was concentrated among a small group of large contributors. Prudent Electoral Trust gave Rs 25 crore. Other major contributors included Star Cement Ltd with Rs 5 crore, Sajjan Bhajanka with Rs 4 crore and Afnan Constructions with Rs 3 crore.

The concentration becomes clearer across all entries. Nine contributions worth Rs 1 crore or more together totalled Rs 43 crore, nearly one-third of the party’s Rs 130.7 crore receipts. By contrast, 1,321 contributions of Rs 5 lakh or less added up to Rs 37.2 crore, or 28.5% of the total.

There were 1,735 entries, and the median contribution was Rs 3 lakh. That means half the entries were at or below that midpoint, while a relatively small number of very large contributions lifted the total substantially. The figures show the difference between counting donations and measuring their financial weight.

Political parties can receive money through channels besides direct contributions above Rs 20,000. These can include the issuance and sale of coupons, along with other sources recorded in a party’s accounts. The article specifically identifies coupon collections as an important Congress funding stream.

In 2024-25, Congress collected more than Rs 350 crore from issuing and selling coupons. That was a substantial amount, and it was separate from the Rs 517.4 crore in contributions above Rs 20,000 reported for the same year. The article does not give a comparable coupon figure for 2025-26.

The distinction matters when interpreting a party’s financial health. A fall in reported large donations does not automatically equal the same fall in total income. Congress’s 2025-26 audit report was not available when the report was published, so its other sources of money, including any coupon-related receipts, had not been explained.

When a political party’s funding falls sharply, it generally has less money available for campaigning, organizing and competing. It may need to reduce activities, rely more heavily on smaller sources or prioritize certain contests. The article reports the funding decline but does not measure any actual effect on Congress’s operations.

Congress’s reported contributions above Rs 20,000 dropped from Rs 517.4 crore to Rs 130.7 crore. Nine contributions of at least Rs 1 crore supplied Rs 43 crore, showing that large donors carried substantial weight. At the same time, 1,321 smaller contributions totalled Rs 37.2 crore.

Disclosure matters because published contribution reports reveal the scale and concentration of reported financial support. They can show whether a party depends heavily on a few donors or receives broader backing. In this case, the Election Commission filing makes the decline and donor concentration visible, while the unavailable audit report leaves other funding sources unresolved.