YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) received twice the funds of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) through electoral trusts in FY 2024–25, even as Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) figured among the top donors nationally. While YSRCP secured ₹98 crore through electoral trusts during the year, TDP received ₹44 crore, according to the latest disclosures analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Telangana alone contributed ₹358.25 crore to electoral trusts during the financial year. Notably, the entire amount was routed through the Prudent Electoral Trust.

MEIL Among Top Donors

Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) emerged as one of the top contributors. The company donated ₹175 crore through the Prudent Electoral Trust, placing it among the top 10 donors via electoral trusts for FY 2024–25.

In addition, P. V. Krishna Reddy, Managing Director of MEIL, made a personal contribution of ₹100 crore, also through the same trust. He is listed among the top individual donors for the year.

Taken together, entities linked to the MEIL group — corporate and individual — accounted for ₹275 crore in contributions routed through electoral trusts in a single financial year.

Electoral Trusts and National Funding Trends

Electoral trusts act as intermediaries, collecting funds from corporates and individuals and distributing them to political parties. In FY 2024–25, total donations received by all electoral trusts stood at ₹3,826.34 crore. More than half of this amount came from just the top 10 donors, indicating a high concentration of political funding among a small group of contributors.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remained the largest beneficiary of trust funding, receiving ₹3,157.65 crore, which accounts for 82.52% of the total funds disbursed. The Indian National Congress followed with ₹298.77 crore.

The remaining 21 political parties together shared just 17.48% of the total funding routed through electoral trusts.

Telugu State Parties

Among regional parties with relevance to the Telugu states:

* Telugu Desam Party (TDP) received ₹44 crore

* YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) received ₹98 crore

* Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) received ₹15 crore

The data underscores the growing dominance of large infrastructure groups in shaping the political funding landscape, particularly through structured instruments such as electoral trusts.