NEW DELHI:The BJP raised well over Rs 800 crore between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019 – just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections – and the biggest single contribution came from the Tata group backed Progressive Electoral Trust, which donated Rs 356 crore.In comparison, the Congress raised just Rs 146 crore in 2018-19, as per the data it submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Progressive Electoral Trust – also the largest donor to the Congress – gave Rs 55 crore to the party as against the Rs 346 crore it gave the BJP, as per the party’s submissions to the ECI. While electoral trusts were the major contributors to the grand old party, the difference in funding they offered to the two key national parties is stark.In fact, Rs 98 crore of the total funding of Rs 146 crore raised by the Congress in 2018-19 came through all the electoral trusts put together. The BJP received nearly Rs 470 crore through electoral trusts alone. Prudent Electoral Trust, predominantly funded by Bharti Airtel , DLF and the Hero group, sent in over Rs 67 crore to the BJP and Rs 39 crore to the Congress in 2018-19. The Aditya Birla General Electoral Trust has sent in over Rs 28 crore to the BJP; they donated Rs 2 crore to the Congress.Triumph Electoral Trust donated Rs 5 crore to the BJP whileHarmony Group sent Rs 10 crore and Janhit Electoral Trust as well as the New Democratic Electoral Trust donated Rs 2.5 crore each to the BJP. Among the big-ticket contributors to the BJP are the Hero group with over Rs 12 crore; ITC with over Rs 23 crore; Nirma with over Rs 5 crore, Pragathi group with Rs 3.25 crore; Micro Labs with Rs 3 crore; BG Shirke Construction Technology with Rs 15 crore and Adi Enterprises with Rs 10 crore. Lodha Developers pitched in well over Rs 4 crore; Modern Road Makers donated Rs 15 crore; JV Holdings gave Rs 5 crore and Soma Distilleries offered Rs 4.25 crore. While the final donation figures received by the BJP are yet to be computed, estimates show it to be nearly Rs 800 crore.It must be noted that funding through electoral bonds has not been declared yet in the contribution reports filed by both the BJP and the Congress and the final funding figures could be significantly higher. The BJP’s 2018-19 funding is in keeping with the trends since 2013. BJP raised Rs 1,027 crore in 2017-18 and spent Rs 758 crore as per its annual audit report. The Congress had only raised Rs 26 crore in 2017-18.