Political Contribution Disclosure under Section 29C

Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 requires a political party to prepare and submit an annual report of specified contributions. The obligation falls on the party's treasurer or another authorised person and applies financial year-wise.

Contributions covered

The report must cover contributions exceeding Rs 20,000 received during the financial year from any person. It must separately cover contributions above that threshold from companies other than government companies.

• The statutory threshold is strictly above Rs 20,000; a contribution of exactly Rs 20,000 is not covered by this reporting threshold.
• The report contains donor particulars and contribution details in the prescribed Form 24A under the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.

Filing authority and deadline

The treasurer or authorised person must submit the report to the Election Commission of India. It must be filed before the due date for furnishing the party's income-tax return under Section 139 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

Consequence of non-compliance

If the party fails to submit the report, Section 29C(4) makes it ineligible for tax relief under the Income-tax law. Thus, disclosure is linked directly to the party's entitlement to income-tax benefits.