SC order on poll bonds bolsters power of votes over notes: Oppn

Several leaders of opposition parties on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict striking down the electoral bonds scheme and said it will reinforce the power of votes over notes, while terming the ruling an important step in ensuring transparency in electoral funding.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been the biggest beneficiary of donations made through electoral bonds since they were first sold in March 2018, sought to downplay the verdict, saying it foresees no negative impact on voters' sentiment and, therefore, its electoral fortunes in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Welcoming the verdict, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge recalled how his party had called the scheme "opaque and undemocratic" when it was launched. Subsequently in its 2019 manifesto, he added, the Congress promised to scrap the "Modi government's dubious scheme".

"We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court today, which has struck down this 'Black Money Conversion' scheme of the Modi Government, calling it 'Unconstitutional"," Kharge said in a post on X.

"We remember how the Modi Govt, PMO and FM bulldozed every institution - RBI, Election Commission, Parliament and Opposition to fill BJP's coffers. No wonder, 95% of the funding under this scheme was received by BJP."

He added: "We hope that Modi Govt will stop resorting to such mischievous ideas in future and listens to the Supreme Court, so that Democracy, Transparency and levelplaying field persists."