The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) has expressed deep concern over the findings of the latest report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) on the income and expenditure of regional political parties for FY 2023–24. According to the report, as many as 20 regional political parties have failed to make their audit reports available on the Election Commission of India’s website even after a shocking delay of 313 days.
NAPA’s Executive Director, Satnam Singh Chahal, stated that such repeated delays and defaults in financial transparency raise serious doubts about the credibility of India’s democratic process. He emphasised that if political parties themselves do not follow the rules of accountability, they lose the moral authority to seek people’s trust.
The ADR report highlights that the 40 regional parties whose data is available declared a combined income of ₹2,532.096 crore for FY 2023–24. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) alone accounted for over ₹685 crore, followed by the All India Trinomial Congress (AITC) with ₹646 crore and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) with ₹297 crore. Together, the top five parties accounted for more than 83% of the total income of all regional parties analysed.
What is most alarming, NAPA pointed out, is that more than 70% of this income came through anonymous electoral bonds, with just 10 regional parties cornering nearly ₹1,800 crore. “This proves that electoral bonds have become a tool to legalize secrecy in political funding, making it impossible for citizens to know who is funding whom,” Chahal added.
The report further shows that while some parties have accumulated hundreds of crores as unspent income, 12 parties, including YSR Congress, DMK, SP, JD(U), and SAD, have declared spending more than their income, raising questions on hidden sources of funding. NAPA noted that such patterns only deepen the public’s distrust in political institutions.
NAPA has strongly endorsed ADR’s recommendations that parties failing to submit audit reports on time should lose their tax exemptions and even face de-recognition. Moreover, full details of all donors must be disclosed under the Right to Information Act to ensure accountability. Merely issuing reminder letters to defaulting parties is not enough; penal actions must be taken to protect the sanctity of Indian democracy.
Chahal stressed that transparency in party finances is not a matter of choice but a necessity for strengthening democratic values. NAPA urged the Election Commission of India to act decisively against defaulting parties and called upon civil society to demand greater accountability from the political class.