New Delhi, March 14 -- Just 23 companies accounted for half the total value of electoral bonds purchased since April 2019, with Coimbatore-headquartered lottery services firm Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd emerging as the top buyer, according to a Mint analysis of the data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday.

Until the Supreme Court quashed the scheme last month, purchasing an electoral bond effectively meant making a political donation that could later be encashed by a political party.

The list detailed bonds worth Rs.12,155.51 crore purchased by over 1,300 companies in nearly five years. Future Gaming and Hotel Services alone bought Rs.1,368 crore worth of bonds, the only company to surpass the Rs....