TDP, YSRCP, BRS among top four in income list of regional parties of India

Slug: ADR ReportVisakhapatnam: Three of the top four highest income-earning regional parties in India during 2024-25 were from two Telugu states — Telugu Desam Party (TDP), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).According to the latest report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), TDP emerged as the highest income-earning regional party in the country, with YSRCP ranking third and BRS fourth. The report analysed how regional parties raised and spent money during the 2024-25 financial year, which largely covered the intense assembly and Lok Sabha election period in April and May 2024.On the expenditure front, too, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana figured prominently. YSRCP emerged as the highest-spending regional party in the country during 2024-25, while BRS ranked fourth, and TDP stood sixth in total expenditure among regional parties. The figures underline the continuing financial strength and political dominance of regional parties in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.TDP Tops Income RankingsTDP, which topped the national income rankings among regional parties, declared an income of ₹228.3 crore during 2024-25. This accounted for nearly 20% of the total income earned by all 36 regional parties analysed in the ADR report.Interestingly, over half of TDP’s income came from fees and subscriptions (₹120 crore), while voluntary contributions accounted for around ₹85.2 crore. The party also reported ₹23 crore as interest earned from bank deposits. Despite strong earnings, TDP maintained relatively restrained spending, reporting expenditure of ₹61.33 crore, with election expenditure accounting for ₹31.73 crore, or 52% of its total spending.YSRCP Emerges Biggest SpenderYSRCP, meanwhile, earned ₹140.4 crore during the year, placing it third nationally among regional parties. However, it emerged as the single biggest spender among all 36 regional parties analysed across the country. The party declared a massive expenditure of ₹340.2 crore, of which nearly ₹300 crore went towards election campaign expenditure alone. This highlights the scale and intensity of YSRCP’s election campaign despite eventually losing power in Andhra Pradesh.In fact, YSRCP spent ₹199.8 crore more than the income it generated during the year. The ADR analysis further showed that nearly 99.7% of YSRCP’s total income came through donations and contributions, amounting to ₹140.05 crore, highlighting its overwhelming dependence on external funding.BRS Sees Sharp Fall In IncomeBRS, which stood fourth nationally in income rankings with ₹123.67 crore, witnessed one of the sharpest financial declines among all regional parties in India following its loss of power in Telangana in 2023. According to the ADR report, the party’s income plunged from ₹685.5 crore in 2023-24 to ₹123.67 crore in 2024-25, a decline of ₹561.84 crore, or 82%.Despite the sharp drop in income, BRS spent ₹180.59 crore during the year, exceeding its earnings by ₹56.92 crore. Election expenditure alone accounted for ₹147.99 crore — 82% of its total spending, indicating that the party continued aggressive political mobilisation despite its electoral setback.Jana Sena’s Membership-Driven ModelJana Sena presented a distinctly different financial model compared to TDP, YSRCP, and BRS. The party declared an income of ₹64.1 crore and expenditure of ₹56.9 crore. A major portion of its spending went towards public meetings and political activities (₹26.65 crore) and insurance expenses for members (₹15.53 crore).However, the most striking aspect was its source of income. Around 93% (₹59.62 crore) of Jana Sena’s total income came from membership fees alone, while the party declared zero income from donations or voluntary contributions. This indicates a rare dependence on cadre-based and membership-driven funding rather than large donor contributions.Massive Election-Year Spending in APCollectively, the three Andhra Pradesh parties ( TDP, YSRCP, and Jana Sena) spent well over ₹458 crore during the election year, with nearly ₹358 crore going directly into election campaigns, political mobilisation, public meetings, and organisational activities. The sheer scale of expenditure on campaigning during the assembly election year highlights the intensity of political mobilisation in the state.The data also suggests that both TDP and YSRCP entered the election year with stronger financial preparation in the previous fiscal year itself. TDP’s income declined from ₹285 crore in 2023-24 to ₹228.3 crore in 2024-25, while YSRCP’s income reduced from ₹191 crore to ₹140.4 crore during the same period. Jana Sena, however, bucked the trend by recording a significant rise in income — from ₹39.5 crore in 2023-24 to ₹64.1 crore in 2024-25, largely driven by increased membership collections.The ADR report further pointed out broader concerns about transparency and compliance among political parties. Out of 67 recognised regional parties in the country, only 36 had audit reports available with the Election Commission at the time of the study, while 31 had still not submitted their audit reports even after a delay of more than 200 days from the deadline of Oct 31, 2025.-------GFX:At Rs 228.3 crore, TDP recorded the highest income among all regional parties in India73.14% of TDP’s income remained unspent in 2024-25YSRCP was the highest-spending regional party in India with expenditure of Rs 340.2 croreIt spent Rs 199.8 crore more than the income it earned during the yearJana Sena earned Rs 64.1 crore and spent Rs 56.9 crore during 2024-25Nearly 93% of Jana Sena’s income came from membership fees, while it declared zero donationsIt recorded a sharp 62.13% rise in income compared to previous year, one of the highest increases among regional partiesBRS reported a total income of Rs 123.67 crore, reporting the steepest income decline among regional partiesBRS earnings fell from Rs 685.5 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 123.67 crore in 2024-25, a drop of nearly 82%BRS derived nearly 87.3% of its income (Rs 107.9 crore) from deposits with scheduled and non-scheduled banks