Congress's donations above Rs 20,000 fall about 75% to Rs 130.69 crore in 2025-26, an analysis of filings shows

Congress's receipts from donations above Rs 20,000 fell nearly 75% to Rs 130.69 crore in 2025-26, the steepest annual fall in such contributions in a decade, according to an analysis of the party's Election Commission filings, per CNBC-TV18 and The Tribune. Outlook and National Herald attribute the analysis to PTI. This piece is as of the evening of 8 November.

The figures

The party had received Rs 517.39 crore in such contributions in 2024-25, the year of the Lok Sabha elections, up from Rs 281.48 crore in 2023-24 (The Tribune). A comparison with the preceding 12 financial years shows the last steeper fall was in 2015-16, when disclosed donations dropped roughly 86% from Rs 141.46 crore (CNBC-TV18). The same report says the 2025-26 total, though sharply lower than the year before, was not Congress's lowest over the period examined.

National Herald reports the same decline. Its subheading labels the Rs 130.69 crore figure 2024-25, and its text labels the Rs 517.39 crore figure 2023-24, which conflicts with its own 2025-26 bullet and with the other three outlets; the figures here follow the three consistent reports.

Prudent Electoral Trust and other donors

Outlook says one donor explains much of the fall: Prudent Electoral Trust's contribution slid from Rs 216.34 crore to Rs 25 crore, about 88%. Prudent was the only electoral trust listed in the party's latest report (CNBC-TV18). Other large contributors included Star Cement, which gave Rs 5 crore, and Sajjan Bhajanka, Rs 4 crore (CNBC-TV18).

The BJP comparison and caveats

The BJP received Rs 6,074.02 crore in donations above Rs 20,000 in 2024-25, nearly 12 times Congress's collection that year, and collected more than Congress in each of the 12 years examined (The Tribune). The BJP's 2025-26 figure is not available because its contribution report has not yet been made public by the Election Commission (CNBC-TV18). Outlook cautions that the figure does not capture the party's full finances, which can also include smaller donations, membership fees, coupon collections and interest.