Lok Sabha Election 2024: Will electoral bonds data unite the beleaguered Opposition?

On March 15, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the just-released data of electoral bonds the ‘biggest extortion racket’ in the world run by . The Wayanad MP’s claim came a day after the Election Commission of India the State Bank of India-provided data on political donations made by companies and individuals through now-scrapped bonds.

The first tranche of data was released two days before the poll panel announced the schedule for the . Unsurprisingly, the ruling (BJP) received the lion’s share of funds - ₹ 6,986.5 crore.

The whopping amount apart, the allegation of ‘quid pro quo’ against the ruling party should provide a window of opportunity for the Opposition parties, led by the Congress, against the BJP in poll season, according to political observers.  At least 14 companies that have reportedly donated over ₹4,000 crore to political parties, including the BJP, are being , as per the first data released on March 14. 

The charge has not yet been officially established.  

Introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP government seven years ago, the allowed individuals and companies to donate money to political parties anonymously. However, on February 15, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud scrapped the ‘ scheme. The Election Commission of India released the data last week in accordance with the .

“There couldn’t be better timing for the date to come out. The ruling party, which has been targeting Congress and other parties of corruption for over a decade, could find itself at the receiving end if at all the Opposition wants," said a political analyst.

For quite some time now, the beleaguered Opposition has been facing criticism for lacking an overarching