According to a senior functionary, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not set a goal for its donation campaign, which has gained attention after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the cause. However, the party wants to gather “as much as possible” in order to be ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The official has also implied that there is no connection between the campaign and the Supreme Court’s ruling to remove electoral bonds for political financing. This is in response to those who argue that the legal prohibition prompted the BJP’s action to raise money before the summertime national elections.
The practice of collecting donations for the BJP never ends. However, we have become more combative lately. But I don’t think there’s a connection to electoral bonds being declared unlawfully. Election day is quickly approaching, and even the Election Commission acknowledges that money is necessary to campaign for office. Rajesh Agarwal, the BJP treasurer, told News18, “Therefore, the push.”
“There’s nothing to aim for. Through legal procedures, we would try to recover as much as possible,” Agarwal said.
The BJP leader JP Nadda, whose X post sparked the push, has paid Rs 1,000 to the party money, while PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have each given Rs 2,000. As part of the initiative, donations as little as Rs 5 may be made using the NaMo App.
“I’m glad to support @BJP4India and bolster our initiatives to create a Viksit Bharat.” I also encourage everyone to use the NaMoApp to participate in #DonationForNationBuilding! Referring to his government’s declared goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, PM Modi noted in a post on March 3 on X.
The same day, Shah tweeted, saying: “Everyone’s support is crucial to building a Viksit Bharat.” The BJP has been trying to make Bharat a developed country under the direction of Modi Ji. Using the NaMo App, let’s unite and make the #DonationForNationBuilding campaign a national movement.
With 180 million, or 18 crore, primary members, the BJP said in 2019 that it was the biggest political party in the world, surpassing the Communist Party of China by a wide margin. About 7 million, or 70 lakh, new members joined the BJP that year, helping it surpass the 18-crore milestone.
It is thought that the BJP’s main membership has surpassed 18 crore. However, even if one uses the 2019 figure, the BJP could benefit greatly from even a pitiful donation from every single party member. For instance, the party fund would get Rs 900 crore even if half of the BJP’s 9 million members contributed Rs 100 each. Furthermore, the BJP would collect Rs 1,800 crore if they all gave Rs 100, which is a significant amount more than the party would have from electoral bonds in 2022–2023.
The fundraising campaign might benefit the BJP in two ways ahead of the pivotal elections, in which Prime Minister Modi is running for a third consecutive term. First, it would assist the party in raising funds for elections, as Agarwal proposed. Second, the idea that their money is being used to support the party in the elections may give BJP members a sense of identity.
The action is being taken against the background of the highly contested Supreme Court ruling last month to eliminate electoral bonds. With Rs 1,294 crore in revenue from electoral bonds, which let people make anonymous donations to political organizations, the BJP led all Indian parties in 2022–2023. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was far behind at Rs 529 crore. With Rs 171 crore, the Congress finished in fifth place.
When electoral bonds are taken into account for their whole life, which spans from 2017–18 to 2022–2023, the BJP received the most amount—Rs 6,564 crore. With Rs 1,122 crore, the Congress came in a distant second throughout this time.
BJP leaders have been contributing through the NaMo App since Nadda’s social media appeal. These leaders include Smriti Irani, Jay Panda, Harsh Sanghavi, Vinod Tawde, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Jitin Prasada, Sunil Deodhar, K Annamalai, G Kishan Reddy, Anurag Thakur, Nitin Gadkari, and Piyush Goyal. The NaMo App states that donations are exempt from income tax under Section 80 GGB for companies and u/s 80 GGC for others.
The app offers a variety of donation choices, from Rs 5 to Rs 2,000. Contributions of Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500, and Rs. 1,000 are also accepted. Any gift above Rs 2,000 would direct the user from the NaMo app to the BJP’s donation website.