Political Finance Database

"Political parties entitled to accept contribution-Provided that no political party shall be eligible to accept any contribution from any foreign source defined under clause (e) of section 2 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 1976."

Source: Representation of the People Act, 1951. 

"No foreign contribution shall be accepted by any--political party or office bearer"

Source: Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010

"Foreign contribution should not be accepted by any candidate"

Source: Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010. 

"Every political party is entitled to accept contribution offered to it by any person or company voluntarily, other than a Government company."

Source:  Section 29B, Representation of the People Act, 1951

"The candidates can raise fund from any source, as there is no restriction under the law on fund-raising by the candidates, nor there is any requirement to maintain and disclose the names and addresses of the persons from whom they are receiving the fund."

Source: Election Commission of India [2015], Background Paper on Political Finance and Law Commissions Recommendations. 

"Every political party is entitled to accept contribution offered to it by any person or company voluntarily, other than a Government company."

Source:  Section 29B, Representation of the People Act, 1951

"The candidates can raise fund from any source, as there is no restriction under the law on fund-raising by the candidates, nor there is any requirement to maintain and disclose the names and addresses of the persons from whom they are receiving the fund."

Source: Election Commission of India [2015], Background Paper on Political Finance and Law Commissions Recommendations. 

"No donation exceeding two thousand rupees is received otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or an account payee bank draft or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account or through electoral bond"

Source: Finance Bill,2017. 

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"Every political party is entitled to accept contribution offered to it by any person or company voluntarily, other than a Government company."

Source:  Section 29B, Representation of the People Act, 1951

"Every political party is entitled to accept contribution offered to it by any person or company voluntarily, other than a Government company."

Source:  Section 29B, Representation of the People Act, 1951

"Every political party is entitled to accept contribution offered to it by any person or company voluntarily, other than a Government company."

Source:  Section 29B, Representation of the People Act, 1951

"Every political party is entitled to accept contribution offered to it by any person or company voluntarily, other than a Government company."

Source:  Section 29B, Representation of the People Act, 1951

"Any assistance from any government servant to help your prospects in the election, except that a government servant may, if he so desires, cast his vote
for you"

Source: Election Commission of India [2009] Handbook of Candidates

"Notwitstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, a company, other than a Government company and a company, which has been in existence for less than three financial years, may contribute any amount directly or indirectly to any political party: provided that the amount referred to in sub-section (I) or, as the case may be, the aggregate of the amount which may be so contributed by the company in any financial year shall not exceed seven and a half percent of its average net profits during the three immediately preceding financial years". 

Source: Company Act,2013. 

"Notwitstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, a company, other than a Government company and a company, which has been in existence for less than three financial years, may contribute any amount directly or indirectly to any political party: provided that the amount referred to in sub-section (I) or, as the case may be, the aggregate of the amount which may be so contributed by the company in any financial year shall not exceed seven and a half percent of its average net profits during the three immediately preceding financial years". 

Source: Company Act,2013. 

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Source: Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules, 2014

Source: Rule 90 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961

Source:Sec 123 (6) of Representation of People's Act, 1951

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"No donation exceeding two thousand rupees is received otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or an account payee bank draft or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account or through electoral bond"

Source: Finance Bill,2017. 

"Despite similar proposals in India, there is currently no direct public funding of elections."

Source: Law Commission of India [2015], Electoral Reforms: Report No.255, Government of India. 

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"39A. Allocation of equitable sharing of time.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time
being in force, the Election Commission shall, on the basis of the past performance of a recognised political party, during
elections, allocate equitable sharing of time on the cable television network and other electronic media in such manner as may
be prescribed to display or propagate any election matter or to address public in connection with an election."

Source: Representation of People's Act,1951

"39A. Allocation of equitable sharing of time.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time
being in force, the Election Commission shall, on the basis of the past performance of a recognised political party, during
elections, allocate equitable sharing of time on the cable television network and other electronic media in such manner as may
be prescribed to display or propagate any election matter or to address public in connection with an election."

Source: Representation of People's Act, 1951

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"Any income of a political party which is chargeable under the head, “Income from house property” or “Income from other sources” or “Capital gains” or any income by way of voluntary contributions received by a political party from any person, shall not be included in the total income of the previous year of such political party "

Source: Section 13A of the Income-Tax Act, 1961

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"The following shall be deemed corrupt practices for the purposes of this ACT: 'Any gift, offer or promise by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent of any gratification, to any person whomsoever, with the object, directly or
indirectly of inducing an elector to vote or refrain from voting at an election" 

"For the purposes of this clause the term "gratification" is not restricted to pecuniary gratifications
or gratifications estimable in money and it includes all forms of entertainment and all forms of employment for reward
but it does not include the payment of any expenses bona fide incurred at, or for the purpose of, any election and
duly entered in the account of election expenses referred to in section 78."

Source: Representation of People's Act, 1951. 

"Unlike the limit of election expenditure imposed on a contesting candidate by the Union of India through the ECI, there is no limit on the expenditure that a party can incur during its election campaigns."

Source: Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) [2012] FAQs on Election Expenditure of Political Parties​. 

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"A candidate is not free to spend as much as he likes on his election. The law prescribes that the total election expenditure shall not exceed the maximum limit prescribed under Rule 90 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. It would also amount to a corrupt practice under sec 123 (6) of R. P. Act, 1951."

Source: Election Commission of India, FAQs for Contesting Elecitons. 

Source: Election Commission of India [2018], Handbook for candidates 

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"The treasurer of a political party or any other person authorised by the political party in this behalf shall, in each financial year, prepare a report in respect of the following, namely:
(a) the contribution in excess of twenty thousand rupees received by such political party from any person in that
financial year;
(b) the contribution in excess of twenty thousand rupees received by such political party from companies other
than Government companies in that financial year."

Source: Representation of the People Act, 1951. 

"The Parties are required to disclose to the Commission, within 75 days of assembly election and 90 days of Loksabha election, the total amount of election expenses incurred by them (As per SC order in Common Cause case)."

Source: Election Commission of India [2015], Background Paper on Political Finance and Law Commissions Recommendations. 

"Disqualification for failure to lodge account of election expenses. —If the Election Commission is satisfied
that a person—
(a) has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by or under this
Act; and
(b) has no good reason or justification for the failure, the Election Commission shall, by order published in the Official Gazette, declare him to be disqualified and any such person shall be disqualified for a period of three years from the date of the order."

Source: Representation of the People Act, 1951. 

Source: Election Commission of India [2018] Handbook for candidates

"The Parties are required to disclose to the Commission, within 75 days of assembly election and 90 days of Loksabha election, the total amount of election expenses incurred by them (As per SC order in Common Cause case). But there is no penal provision, if the parties do not submit the report at all or submit incomplete or incorrect report. The Commission has issued instruction in its transparency guidelines for the political parties that such report submitted should be verified by the Chartered accountant of the Party, but there is no penal provision to ensure this. The Commission puts these reports on its website" 

Source: Election Commission of India [2015], Background Paper on Political Finance and Law Commissions Recommendations. 

"The parties are neither required to maintain the details, nor required to disclose to the Commission, if the one time contribution made by a person is not more than Rs 20,000/-. They are also not required to disclose total contributions received by them and therefore anonymous donations are neither restricted nor prohibited."

Source: Election Commission of India [2015], Background Paper on Political Finance and Law Commissions Recommendations. 

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Source: Election Commission of India, Political party expenditure E-file. User Manual. IT cell. 

"The Parties are required to disclose to the Commission, within 75 days of assembly election and 90 days of Loksabha election, the total amount of election expenses incurred by them (As per SC order in Common Cause case)."

Source: Election Commission of India [2015], Background Paper on Political Finance and Law Commissions Recommendations. 

"The Parties are required to disclose to the Commission, within 75 days of assembly election and 90 days of Loksabha election, the total amount of election expenses incurred by them (As per SC order in Common Cause case)."

Source: Election Commission of India [2015], Background Paper on Political Finance and Law Commissions Recommendations. 

The Commission has the power to disqualify a candidate who has failed to lodge an account of his election expenses within the time and in the manner prescribed by law. The Commission has also the power for removing or reducing the period of such disqualification as also other disqualification under the law.

Source: Election Commission of India

Sections 3 to 10a of the Representation of the People's Act, 1951

Source: Representation of the People Act, 1951.