ECI shares fresh Electoral Bonds data with Bond numbers linking Donors and Political Parties

Following a reprimand from the Supreme Court, the State Bank of India has now provided the Election Commission with a comprehensive report on electoral bonds. This dataset contains vital serial numbers linked to the bonds, aiding in the identification of donors and their associated political parties.

Presenting an affidavit of compliance to the Supreme Court on Thursday, the SBI assured full disclosure of all pertinent information, except for complete account numbers and KYC details. These disclosed details are anticipated to be swiftly uploaded onto the Election Commission’s website.

Earlier, the SBI had furnished two lists to the Election Commission, subsequently made public on March 14. One list detailed donor names, bond denominations, and purchase dates, while the other outlined political parties alongside bond denominations and encashment dates.

However, the absence of a unique alphanumeric code posed a challenge in correlating the lists to determine which donor contributed to which party. This alphanumeric code, visible only under ultraviolet (UV) light, serves as a crucial link in this identification process.

In response to a petition highlighting the “incomplete data” provided by the SBI, the Supreme Court, on Monday, directed the bank to disclose all electoral bond details, including serial numbers, by 5 pm. This directive underscored the court’s insistence on full disclosure, as articulated by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.

In the affidavit submitted on Thursday, signed by SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara, the bank reiterated its commitment to transparency, revealing additional information including the following:

• The name and A/C details of the purchaser of electoral bond,
• The denomination and specific bond number of the purchaser,
• The name of the political party that has encashed the bond,
• Last four digits of the bank account number of political parties,
• The denomination and number of the bond encashed by a political party.

We have converted the data from PDF to Excel format for better analysis. You can download them here.

Moreover, the Supreme Court instructed the Election Commission to promptly upload the disclosed details, likely to occur later on Thursday. Notably, the electoral bonds scheme was previously deemed unconstitutional and arbitrary, leading to its annulment by the Supreme Court on February 15.