Electoral bonds data: Reliance-linked Qwik Supply donated ₹385 crore to BJP

Qwik Supply Chain Private Ltd, the third largest donor to political parties using electoral bonds, gave ₹385 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ₹25 crore to the Shiv Sena, reported PTI referring to the third list of SBI Electoral bonds data released by the Election Commission on Thursday, March 21. The little-known company is registered at Navi Mumbai's Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC) and has links to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, according to PTI. 

Reliance-linked Qwik Supply's donation to BJP and Shiv Sena

The company had bought electoral bonds worth ₹410 crore between 2021-22 and 2023-24. The total amount of the purchased bonds was donated to the BJP except ₹25 crore. The remaining amount was given to the Shiv Sena in 2022, according to PTI. Interestingly, the Navi-Mumbai-based company did not give money to any other political party, according to the data revealed by EC.

Qwik Supply Chain's connection with Reliance group

Qwik Supply Chain made the second largest donation after ₹1,368 crore of Future Gaming and Hotel Services and ₹966 crore of Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infra. In addition to Qwik Supply Chain, Honeywell Properties Private Ltd, another firm with a Reliance link, purchased bonds worth ₹30 crore on April 8, 2021, and gave all of them to the BJP.

Reacting to reports suggesting Qwik Supply Chain's link with Reliance, a Reliance Industries spokesperson said, "Qwik Supply Chain Pvt Ltd is not a subsidiary of any Reliance entity." However, the spokesperson didn't comment on the firm's association with Reliance.

Qwik Supply is an unlisted private company which was formed in 2000, with an authorised share capital of ₹130.99 crore. Its paid-up capital is ₹129.99 crore. In FY 23, the firm's revenue stood at ₹500 crore in 2022-23 (April 2022 to March 2023) but profit numbers were not known, reported PTI.

It bought electoral bonds worth ₹360 crore in 2021-22 to give away to political parties. In the same year, its net profit was only ₹21.72 crore. It bought another ₹50 crore worth of bonds in 2023-24.

Qwik Supply Chain's director Tapas Mitra also a director of Reliance Eros Productions LLP

Out of the three directors of Qwik Supply Chain, Tapas Mitram is the longest-serving director on the company's board. Incidentally, he also sits on the board of 25 other companies. 

He is a director of partnership firms such as Reliance Eros Productions LLP and companies such as Jamnagar Kandla Pipeline Company Pvt Ltd, which is an Ahmedabad registered firm and shares address by some other Reliance companies as well, like Reliance Paging Pvt Ltd, Jamnagar Ratlam Pipeline Pvt Ltd, Reliance Tankages Pvt Ltd and Reliance Oil and Petroleum Pvt Ltd, reported PTI. Another director of the company, Qwik is a director of eight other companies including including one called Rel Icons and Traders Pvt Ltd.