BRS is Telugus’ favourite, followed by TD for electoral bond donation
Hyderabad: The BRS appears to be the biggest beneficiary of electoral bonds in the non-BJP bloc from the Telugu states, according to the recent data released by the Election Commission of India.
An analysis of electoral bonds having Rs 1 crore face value shows that the K. Chandrashekar Rao-led BRS got approximately Rs 1,181 crore from April 12, 2019 to February 2024, when the Supreme Court banned the electoral bonds.
The largest donor to the BRS was Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), at Rs 195 crore. Yashoda Super Specialty Hospitals was the second largest a Rs 94 crore.
Chennai Green Woods, a construction company owned by the Ramky Group, stood third with Rs 50 crore, followed by Hetero Drugs `30 crore and group company Hetero Labs Rs 20 crore, totalling `50 crore, and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Rs 32 crore.
IRB MP Expressway, which was awarded the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road toll collection mandate, was the sixth largest donor for the BRS with Rs 25 crore. NSL SEZ (Hyderabad) Private Limited stood seventh with a donation of Rs 24 crore.
The BRS also received Rs 22 crore from L7 Hitech Pvt Ltd, owned by the Nagpur-based L7 Group which has interests ranging from hospitality to information technology. According to reports, its promoter Ravi Agrawal was accused of ‘dabba trading’ —illegal stock trading outside the purview of the stock market. This company is the eight largest donor of the BRS.
City-based API manufacturer Divi’s Laboratories, which is led by Murali Divi, the richest man in the Telugu states, was the ninth largest donor of the BRS at Rs 20 crore.
Other companies which contributed Rs 20 crore to the BRS include a lesser-known infrastructure company, HES Infra, Honour Lab, Koya and Company Construction, MSN Pharmachem, Natco Pharma, Rajapushpa Properties, and Tellapur Technocity.
Most of the BRS donors were from infrastructure, pharmaceutical, and real estate sectors, which are highly regulated by the government either due to permissions or issues related to the environment.
After the BRS, the Telugu Desam was the second most favourite party of Telugu-speaking entrepreneurs. Though it received Rs 214 crore, which is just around 20 per cent of what the BRS got through Rs 1-crore electoral bonds, the Chandrababu Naidu-led party received more donations from companies led by Telugus.
Its largest donor was lesser known power transformer maker, Shirdi Sai Electricals with Rs 40 crore, followed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures (MEIL) at the second slot with Rs 28 crore, and its associate company Western UP Power Transmission Company donated another Rs 20 crore.
Other Telugu-led companies who donated to the TD were Natco Pharma Rs 14 crore, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Rs 13 crore, and Bharat Biotech International Rs 10 crore. Other companies donated between Rs 5 crore and Rs 1 crore. The Telugu Desam was the only political party to which vaccine maker Bharat Biotech had donated funds.
