New Delhi : The Congress party’s electoral performance continues to deteriorate, and this trend is now reflected in the donations received by the country’s oldest political party. There has been a sharp decline of approximately 75 percent in these contributions. In 2024-25, the Congress received about ₹517.4 crore in donations; however, in 2025-26, this figure has plummeted to just ₹130.7 crore.

This has been revealed in the donation report for 2025-26, which the Congress submitted to the Election Commission. Notably, the ‘Prudent Electoral Trust’ alone accounted for 19 percent of these contributions a significant share, though it had contributed 41.8 percent of the party’s total donations in 2024-25.

Last year, the donations received by the Congress—primarily from the corporate sector—came exclusively through this single electoral trust. In 2025-26, the trust provided the party with ₹25 crore, which represents only 11.5% of the ₹216 crore it had contributed in 2024-25.

There could be several reasons for this sharp 75% drop in donations exceeding ₹20,000 compared to 2024-25. Since 2024-25 was a Lok Sabha election year, a substantial increase in donations to the main opposition party was expected. However, it is noteworthy that the ₹130.7 crore received in 2025-26 is also approximately 53% lower than the amount the party received in 2023-24.

It should be noted that the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections were held during the 2025-26 period, and elections also took place in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry in April 2026. The Congress party’s audit report for 2025-26 will provide details regarding other sources of the party’s funding. In 2024-25, the Congress received over ₹350 crore through the issuance and sale of coupons.

Last year, in addition to the Prudent Trust, contributions were received from Star Cement Limited (₹5 crore), Sajjan Bhajanka (₹4 crore), Afnan Constructions (₹3 crore), and Prem Kumar Bhajanka (₹2 crore). Furthermore, Ipsm Proadvisors and SMS Builders each contributed ₹1 crore.

Donations of ₹1 crore or more were received from only 9 individuals and companies, amounting to approximately ₹43 crore. In contrast, there were 1,321 individual contributions of ₹5 lakh or less. A significant portion of the funding received by the Congress has come from a select few entities and individuals who provided large sums.

Report : Abhijit Tushar Bhatt (Political Editor)

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