Biocon did not buy electoral bonds for political donations, I did: Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Biocon founder and chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Monday clarified that she bought and then donated electoral bonds to the JD(S) and other political parties on a personal level and that the company was not involved in it.

"Would like to clarify that Biocon did not make any political donation to JDS or any other party for elections. At a personal level, I purchased electoral bonds which I donated to JDS and several parties. My donations were nominal on the principle of funding election campaigns with white money," she wrote on X.

In separate posts, Mazumdar-Shaw added, "I want to make it clear that what I do personally has no connection with my company... It was my personal money and my account. Her total donation through electoral bonds amounted to Rs 6 crore.

Would like to clarify that Biocon did not make any political donation to JDS or any other party for elections. At a personal level I purchased electoral bonds which I donated to JDS & several parties. My donations were nominal on the principle of funding election campaigns with…

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 18, 2024

She also agreed with an X user who suggested that the Election Commission should ensure they don’t mention company names when the donations are made in an individual capacity.

Responding to her post, former JDS spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed wrote, "You helped JDS campaign by donating money individually, not from Biocon'. I remember you talking about electoral bonds as a good way to stop cash donations. Biocon didn't give us any money, but your donation really helped us. I remember because I received bonds from you."

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw thanked him for the clarification.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 17 released further information regarding the electoral bonds, including information on the amount redeemed per political party.

Also Read | Electoral bonds: Here are the top 10 companies that have donated to political parties