Out of the 275 parties analysed, 163 (59.273%) have not made their audit reports and statements of donations above Rs 20,000 available on the respective State CEO websites
NEW DELHI — A new analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Friday revealed that a majority of registered unrecognised political parties associated with Bihar have failed to submit mandatory financial disclosures for the financial year 2023–24.
Out of the 275 parties analysed, 163 (59.273%) have not made their audit reports and statements of donations above Rs 20,000 available on the respective State CEO websites. Among these, 113 parties had contested the Bihar Assembly Elections in 2020.
The report titled “Analysis of Status of Submission of Annual Reports for FY 2023-24 and Electoral Performance of Registered Unrecognised Political Parties of Bihar and Others” examines 275 such parties — 184 registered in Bihar and 91 in other states — that either contested or were registered during the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections.
According to ADR, out of these 275 parties, only 67 (24.3%) submitted both their annual audit and donation reports, while 163 parties (59.3%) failed to make either of the report public. A total of 98 parties had audit reports available, and 81 provided donation details.
“The analysis highlights significant gaps in transparency,” ADR said, adding that more than half of the parties did not make their financial statements accessible on the Election Commission of India (ECI) or state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) websites.
High Income, Low Accountability
Together, the 67 parties that submitted both reports declared a total income of ₹85.56 crore, expenditure of ₹71.49 crore, and donations of ₹71.73 crore for FY 2023–24.
The Samata Party (Delhi) topped the list with an income of ₹53.13 crore, followed by Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) at ₹9.59 crore, and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) at ₹4.79 crore. Other parties in the top ten include Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Rashtriya Sarvodaya Party, Rashtriya Janshakti Party (Secular), and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party.
Dormant Political Entities
The report also flagged 28 Bihar-registered parties that did not contest any election between 2019–20 and 2023–24, despite declaring a cumulative income of ₹1.52 crore. Among these, the Mithilawadi Party reported the highest income of ₹82.39 lakh over five years, followed by the Shoshit Inquilab Party and Gantantrik Janhit Party.
Delisting by ECI
ADR noted that 32 parties were delisted by the Election Commission in August and September 2025 for reasons such as inactivity, non-compliance with disclosure norms, or lack of electoral participation. Despite some showing significant income — like the Rashtriya Sarvodaya Party of Bihar, which declared ₹10.66 crore over five years — several did not contest elections.
The ADR reiterated its call for stricter monitoring and enforcement of financial disclosure requirements, stressing that transparency is essential for strengthening public trust in the political process.
