BSP income rose by 266% before 2017 UP assembly election

LUCKNOW: Its humiliating decimation in 2017 UP assembly elections notwithstanding, the Mayawati-led BSP saw its income, essentially through donations, grew by over 266% between financial year 2015-16 and 2016-17, according to a recent ADR report.

According to ADR report analysing the details provided by the national parties in their audit report and submitted with the Election Commission of India, BSP's annual income rose from just over Rs 47 crores in 2015-16 to more than Rs 126 crores in 2016-17. The Dalit outfit declared a total income of Rs 173.58 crores during 2016-2017.

The rise in annual income of BSP came about despite demonetisation, even as it geared up to contest the 2017 UP state assembly elections. The Dalit dominated party, however, spent only 30% of the income it earned during the period just before 2017 assembly elections, the report said.

In all, only five parties - BSP, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), CPM and CPI - submitted their annual income totalling around Rs 300 crores, with the ECI. Not surprisingly, BSP alone accounted for almost 58% of the total annual of five parties taken together.

The Mamata Banerjee-led AITC declared a total income of Rs 6.39 crore during 2016-17, but it spent an excess of Rs 17.87 crore (280%) over total income. Likewise, the Sharad Pawar led-NCP too had its annual income increased from just over Rs 9 crores in 2015-16 to more than Rs 17 crores in 2016-17.

Interestingly, the BJP and the Congress are yet to submit their annual income with the ECI, ADR report said. The income of BJP during 2015-16 was highest among all the national parties. The BJP, according to ADR, had declared a total income of Rs 570.86 crores but is yet to submit its copy of Income Tax returns for 2016-17 to the ECI.