Donations to West Bengal’s ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) witnessed a sharp spike in the 2024-2025 financial year, with the party receiving Rs 184.96 crore from 448 contributors, nearly three times the amount it reported in the previous fiscal year, according to data cited from Election Commission filings.
The contribution jump marks a huge rise from the Rs 64.24 crore declared by the party in 2023-24, highlighting a dramatic escalation in political funding to the Mamata Banerjee-led party ahead of a politically sensitive period.
Among the top contributors to the Trinamool Congress were electoral trusts based in Delhi and Mumbai, a lottery distributor operating in West Bengal, and several large businesses with manufacturing facilities in the state.
The Prudent Electoral Trust emerged as the single largest donor, contributing Rs 92 crore to the TMC during the year. This was followed by Tiger Associates, which donated Rs 50 crore, making it one of the most significant individual contributors to the party’s coffers.
According to information available on its official website, Tiger Associates is the area distributor in West Bengal for Nagaland State Lotteries, Sikkim State Lotteries and Punjab State Lotteries, drawing attention to the role of lottery-linked businesses in political funding within the state.
Several industrial and manufacturing companies also figured among the TMC’s key benefactors:
1. Rashmi Cement Limited, an iron, steel and cement manufacturer, donated Rs 5 crore to the party.
2. The Progressive Electoral Trust, based in Mumbai and primarily funded by Tata Group companies, contributed Rs 10 crore. Tata Group companies operate manufacturing plants in Jhargram and Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district and maintain a corporate office in Kolkata.
3. Shyam Ferro Alloys Limited, a manufacturer and exporter of stainless steel, donated Rs 3 crore.
4. Kolkata-based Kejriwal Mining, a trading and mining company, also contributed Rs 3 crore.
5. Super Smelters, an iron and steel manufacturer with a captive power plant at the Jamuria Industrial Estate in Asansol, Paschim Bardhaman district, donated Rs 2 crore.
6. IVL Dhanseri Petrochem Industries, a plastic manufacturer with factories in Haldia (Purba Medinipur) and Karnal (Punjab), contributed an equal amount of Rs 2 crore.
Individual Donors and Party Representatives Contribute
Among individual contributors, financial expert Kishan Gopal Mohta emerged as the largest personal donor, contributing Rs 3 crore to the party.
In addition, a substantial number of elected representatives from within the party made smaller but widespread contributions. Donations ranging between Rs 22,000 and Rs 30,000 were made by nearly 199 of the TMC’s 213 MLAs, including senior ministers such as Bratya Basu, Babul Supriyo, Aroop Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Firhad Hakim.
The party also received donations from around 40 current and former Members of Parliament. Among them:
Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose donated Rs 1.2 lakh,
Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahman contributed Rs 3.8 lakh,
Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra donated Rs 1 lakh, and
Kolkata Dakshin MP Mala Roy contributed Rs 6.12 lakh.
The surge in direct donations adds to the Trinamool Congress’s already substantial funding through electoral bonds in recent years. When electoral bond data was made public in 2024, the TMC was found to have redeemed Rs 1,609 crore between April 2019 and January 2024, making it the second-largest beneficiary after the BJP.
During the 2023-24 fiscal year alone, the party collected approximately Rs 612 crore through electoral bonds, underscoring its strong fundraising capacity despite being a state-based party.
The sharp rise in donations, coupled with the diversity of donors ranging from electoral trusts and industrial houses to lottery distributors and party legislators, highlights the Trinamool Congress’s expanding financial base. The data is likely to fuel renewed political debate over transparency, corporate influence, and the role of high-value donors in electoral politics, particularly in West Bengal’s highly competitive political landscape.
As scrutiny over political funding intensifies nationwide, the TMC’s latest contribution figures place it firmly at the centre of discussions on money, power and politics in India.
