BJP’s funding edge creates lopsided electoral battlefield: Ajay Maken

Amid the ongoing debate on electoral reforms, senior Congress leader and treasurer Ajay Maken on Thursday, 11 December, delivered a stark warning in the Rajya Sabha that India’s electoral battlefield is no longer just unequal — it is structurally imbalanced and tilted towards the BJP.

The BJP’s bank balance, he said, has exploded from Rs 295 crore in 2014 to a staggering Rs 10,107 crore in 2024, giving the ruling party 75 times more resources than the Congress.

Maken presented election-wise financial data in Parliament and a timeline that shows how political funding has been transformed into a lopsided power tool under the Modi government.

Notably, even in 2014, when the Congress-led UPA was in power, the BJP’s bank balance was already double that of the Congress. But the post-2014 spike, Maken argued, signals something more than routine political fundraising. Maken outlined the dramatic divergence:

• 2004: BJP Rs 87.96 crore | Congress Rs 38.48 crore

• 2009: BJP Rs 150 crore | Congress Rs 221 crore

• 2019: BJP Rs 3,562 crore | Congress Rs 315 crore

• 2024: BJP Rs 10,107.2 crore | Congress Rs 133.97 crore

“The BJP today has 75 times more money than the Congress,” he said, calling this "an assault on democratic fairness".

"Where is the level playing field and how can the Opposition fight against the ruling party in elections?" Maken added.

Accusing the Modi government of waging a financial war against the Opposition — choking its resources while ensuring a steady flow to the BJP — Maken said: “I have spoken to businessmen and industrialists. Earlier, they donated in a 60:40 ratio. Today even 95:5 is impossible. The moment anyone donates to us, the ED and IT land at their doorstep.”

The Congress leader argued that a healthy democracy rests on:

1. Level playing field

2. Transparency

3. Credibility of electoral processes

“All three stand weakened,” he said, warning that democracy cannot survive when one party controls the field, the rules, and the umpire. 

The Congress leader accused the Election Commission of partisan conduct, citing the Bihar government’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana — announced and implemented despite the Model Code of Conduct. Opposition-ruled states, he said, face instant restrictions, while BJP-ruled states get a free pass.

“If the umpire wears the jersey of a team, what will the other team do?” he asked. “If the umpire himself fixes the match, how will the players play?”

Questions on transparency: electoral rolls, IP addresses, and ‘mysterious’ turnout jumps. Maken further accused the ECI of:

• Denying machine-readable electoral rolls

• Concealing IP addresses

• Destroying crucial data within 45 days

• Remaining silent when voter turnout figures in Haryana increased after the results were announced

Instead of inspiring confidence, he said, the Commission is now “manufacturing suspicion”.

Responding to the allegations, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused the Congress of creating noise instead of pursuing institutional remedies. Drawing a cricket analogy, he said, “If you think the batsman is out, you go for review. But Congress prefers press conferences over procedure.”