Gujarat political parties receive Rs 1,700 crore in donations

Six registered unrecognised political parties based in Gujarat received a combined Rs 1,700 crore in donations during the 2023-24 financial year. This total exceeds the combined donations of five recognized national parties—the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and National People’s Party—which received Rs 1,480 crore. The only national party to receive more was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Data from the Election Commission and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that the Aam Janmat Party alone received Rs 620 crore, more than double the Rs 281 crore received by the Congress. Despite the high funding, these six Gujarat-based parties fielded only 15 candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, compared to 893 candidates fielded by the five national parties.

Four of these six parties are based in the Naroda area of Ahmedabad. Previous reports have highlighted similar trends, noting that ten “anonymous parties” in Gujarat received Rs 4,300 crore between 2019 and 2024 while fielding very few candidates and securing minimal votes.