The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Tamil Nadu's ruling party, received a significant sum of Rs 509 crore through electoral bonds from Future Gaming and Hotel Services, owned by Santiago Martin. This contribution constituted 77 percent of the total Rs 656.5 crore received by the DMK through electoral bonds. Future Gaming emerged as the top purchaser of electoral bonds, accounting for Rs 1,368 crore in purchases, with a notable portion directed to the DMK.
Other major donors to the DMK included Megha Engineering (Rs 105 crore), India Cements (Rs 14 crore), and Sun TV (Rs 100 crore).
It is noteworthy that the DMK opted to disclose the identities of its donors, distinguishing itself from other prominent political parties like the BJP, Congress, TMC, and AAP, which refrained from such disclosures until a Supreme Court order compelled the Election Commission to make these filings public.
In total, the BJP leads the list of parties receiving funding through bonds since its inception in 2018, with Rs 6,986.5 crore. The Trinamool Congress follows with Rs 1,397 crore, trailed by the Congress (Rs 1,334 crore) and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) (Rs 1,322 crore).
