Electoral bonds: Megha Engineering, Embassy Group made up 80% donations to JD(S)

More than 80 percent of the donations received by the Janata Dal (Secular) from electoral bonds until April 2023 came from two entities: Megha Engineering & Constructions Pvt Ltd and Embassy Group.

A regional party founded by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, JD(S) is recognised as a state party in Karnataka, Kerala, and Arunachal Pradesh.

According to documents submitted by the party to the Election Commission of India (ECI), while Megha Engineering & Constructions donated Rs 50 crore, the Embassy Group of Companies gave Rs 22 crore to the JD(S).

Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering was the second-largest purchaser of electoral bonds overall behind lottery firm Future Gaming and Hotel Services, according to data submitted by State Bank of India to the ECI.

Some of the major donors to the JD(S) include Shankaranarayana Constructions (P) Ltd and JSW Steel, which pumped in Rs 5 crore each. Amar Raj Groups gave Rs 2 crore, Shahi Exports Pvt Ltd Rs 1.5 crore, and Infosys Rs 1 crore.

In total, the JD(S) received Rs 89.75 crore from electoral bonds starting March 2018 and until April 18, 2023.

The documents also said that the JD(S) received electoral bonds to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore from Biocon Ltd. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, executive chairperson of biopharmaceutical major, however, said on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that the company "did not make any political donation to the JD(S) or any other party" for elections.

"At a personal level, I purchased electoral bonds which I donated to the JD(S) and several parties. My donations were nominal on the principle of funding election campaigns with white money," Mazumdar-Shaw posted on X on March 18.

According to data submitted by SBI to the poll panel on March 14, Biocon was not listed as a purchaser of electoral bonds. Mazumdar-Shaw, meanwhile, did purchase electoral bonds worth Rs 6 crore.

The JD(S) is one of the few political parties to disclose the names of its donors, with the others being the Aam Aadmi Party, Maharashtrawadi Gomntak Party, Sikkim Democratic Front, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Other parties said information on the identity of donors was not readily available.

The Janata Dal (United), for instance, said it was not aware about the details of the donors who gave Rs 10 crore of bonds. "Neither we know, nor we tried to know, because when we received the bonds, order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court was not in existence and only the gazette notification of the Govt of India was in operation," it said.

"Somebody came to our office on April 3, 2019 at Patna and handed over a sealed envelope and when it was opened it, we found a bunch containing 10 Electoral Bonds of Rs 1 crore each," documents submitted to the ECI by the JD(U) said.

The JD(U) disclosed the identity of two of its other donors: Shree Cement Limited (Rs 2 crore) and Bharti Airtel (Rs 1 crore).