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March 17, 2024 07:48 pm | Updated March 18, 2024 12:55 pm IST – Chennai
Santiago Martin’s Future Gaming and Hotel services, Mega Infrastructure and Sun TV donated to DMK using electoral bonds, data provided by EC shows. File | Photo Credit: Velankanni Raj B
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) received ₹656.5 crore in total through the electoral bond route, of which ₹509 crore was received from Santiago Martin’s Future Gaming and Hotel services, the largest donor to political parties in the country.
Of the ₹1,368 crore worth of bonds purchased by Future Gaming and Hotel Services between April 12, 2019 and January 24, 2024, 37% went to the DMK.
The DMK also received ₹105 crore from “Mega Infrastructure”. Incidentally, while the DMK has merely mentioned the name of the donor as “Mega Infrastructure”, an analysis of the Election Commission of India’s (EC) data showed that the contributor is likely to be Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), as the dates on which the bonds were purchased by the company and dates on which the equivalent sums were encashed by the DMK, match.
The firm had purchased ₹966 crore worth of electoral bonds, the second highest in the country. Close to 10% of MEIL’s total purchases went to the DMK.
Watch | Electoral bonds: Who were the biggest donors?
Electoral bonds data | Full list of donors and recipient political parties
Electoral bonds data | BJP received ₹6,060 crore, highest among all parties
Electoral bonds data | 22 companies donated over ₹100 crore, BJP got highest share
Electoral bonds data | Many top donors were under ED and Income Tax Department scanner
It is important to note that information about donors and their donations before April 12, 2019, is not in public domain yet. For instance, India Cements has donated ₹14 crore to the DMK through electoral bonds, but data on only ₹4 crore worth of bonds purchased by the company after April 12, 2019 was in public domain till Saturday.
Apart from these firms, Sun TV Network Limited donated ₹10 crore; Triveni (full name not known) donated ₹8 crore; “IRB” (likely IRB MP Expressway Private Ltd.) donated ₹2 crore; and Apollo Tyres, Birla, and LMW donated ₹1 crore each.
DMK is one of the few parties along with the AIADMK, which had disclosed donor information in their letter to the Secretary of the Election Expenditure Division of the EC.
General Elections 2024 / Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam / political development / state politics / Electoral bonds
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