Maharashtra opposition welcomes Supreme Court's decision to strike down electoral bonds

Supreme Court/ File Photo

Opposition parties in Maharashtra welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the electoral bonds scheme, labelling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the sole beneficiary of the controversial political funding mechanism.

The NCP (Sharad Pawar camp) alleged that electoral bonds were introduced to primarily benefit the BJP, allowing anonymous donors to contribute to the party's coffers. Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in political donations, praising the court's decision as a step towards ensuring these principles, a PTI report stated.

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"The Supreme Court's decision to strike down the electoral bonds scheme, calling it 'unconstitutional', is a very welcome move. There should be transparency and accountability of every donation that comes to a political party," Crasto said.

Similarly, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena hailed the apex court's verdict as a landmark decision, expressing concerns over potential attempts to bypass the ruling, akin to recent controversies surrounding the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner, the PTI report stated. Sena MP Vinayak Raut stressed the importance of pressuring the State Bank of India and the government to disclose information about electoral bonds to the public.

"The Union government sidelined SC directives and passed a law where the prime minister, a cabinet minister and the leader of the opposition will select the new head of the Election Commission. This matter should not go that way," said Sena (UBT) MP Vinayak Raut.

"Sena (UBT) not only welcomes the decision but it will also ¿generate required pressure on the State Bank of India and the government to share information (about electoral bonds) with the people," he added.

The Supreme Court, in its ruling, declared the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional, citing violations of the right to information and freedom of speech and expression under the Constitution. The court also instructed the State Bank of India to share contributor information with the Election Commission, mandating its publication on the EC's official website by March 13.

"The electoral bonds scheme and the impugned provisions to the extent that they infringe upon the right to information of the voter by anonymising contribution through electoral bonds are violative of Article 19 (1)(a)," the CJI said while pronouncing the verdict, per PTI.