BJP's assets swell by 22.27% in 2017-18, Congress' down by 15.26%

The combined declared assets of seven national parties grew by 6% from Rs 3456.65 crores in FY 2016-17 to Rs 3260.81 crores in FY 2017-18.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's overall assets grew by 22.27 per cent within a year, up from Rs 1213.13 crores in financial year (FY) 2016-17 to Rs 1483.35 crores during FY 2017-18, election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said in a release. 

The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), however, registered a decrease in their annual declared assets. Congress' total assets decreased by 15.26 per cent, from Rs 854.75 crores to Rs 724.35 crores between 2016-17 and 2017-18. The NCP's assets fell by 16.39 per cent from Rs 11.41 crores to Rs 9.54 crores in the same period.

The ADR analysed the total assets declared by the seven National Parties --  BJP, Congress, NCP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and All India Trinamool Congress.

The combined declared assets of the seven parties grew by six per cent from Rs 3456.65 crores in FY 2016-17 to Rs 3260.81 crores in FY 2017-18.

The total assets of Trinamool increased by 10.86 per cent, from Rs 26.25 crores to Rs 29.10 crores between the same period.

The overall liabilities of the seven policital parties decreased by 27.26 per cent from Rs 514.99 crores to Rs 374.61 crores in FY 2017-18. 

For FY 2017-18, Congress declared the highest liabilities of Rs 324.2 crores, followed by BJP Rs 21.38 crores and Trinamool Rs 10.65 crores.

Between FY 2016-17 and 2017-18, four parties declared a decrease in liabilities. Congress reported a decrease of Rs 137.53 crores, CPM Rs 3.02 crores, NCP Rs 1.34 crores and Trinamool Rs 55 lakhs.

BJP, CPI and BSP, however, declared an increase in liabilities during FY 2017-18. 

Political parties fall under the non-commercial, non-industrial or non-business entity. Thus, the standard accounting formats of the other entities are not applicable to political parties, said the election watchdog ADR.