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2 clusters · 12 sources · 23 days · First seen · Last updated

Political donation irregularities in Gujarat

Overview

Reports indicate that six unrecognized political parties in Gujarat received a combined Rs 1,700 crore in donations during the 2023-24 financial year, a sum exceeding the total donations of five recognized national parties. Despite these high funding levels, these parties fielded very few candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Data suggests a trend where “anonymous parties” in the region received significant capital while securing minimal votes.

Following these findings, the Gujarat Police registered a criminal case against the Bharatiya National Janata Dal (BNJD) and its officials regarding an alleged ₹1,143.85 crore fraudulent donation scam. The investigation, prompted by the Income Tax Department, suggests a scheme involving over 56,000 donors who used banking channels to claim tax deductions. Investigators allege that funds were moved to intermediary firms through fake invoices for goods such as food grains and pulses. After deducting commissions of 2% to 10%, the remaining money was reportedly returned to original donors via angadia and hawala networks. The BNJD is also accused of submitting falsified contribution reports to the Election Commission to disguise these transactions as legitimate donations.

Recent developments show that the investigation into the BNJD scheme, spanning the 2019-20 to 2024-25 financial years, has led the Income Tax Department to estimate a direct tax loss of approximately Rs 343 crore. Furthermore, the Ahmedabad CID Crime is now investigating two additional complaints involving other political entities: the Garib Kalyan Party, regarding Rs 206.76 crore in bogus donations, and another complaint involving Rs 519 crore.

Entities

Election Commission · Gujarat · Income Tax Department · Association for Democratic Reforms · Bharatiya National Janata Dal

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. [CRIME] 9 sources
    Gujarat political parties under investigation for alleged Rs 1,143 crore donation racket

    Gujarat police have filed cases against the Bharatiya National Janata Dal and others over an alleged Rs 1,143.85 crore political donation scam involving tax evasion and hawala networks.

  2. [POLITICS] 3 sources
    Gujarat political parties receive Rs 1,700 crore in donations

    Six unrecognised political parties in Gujarat received Rs 1,700 crore in donations during 2023-24, surpassing the combined funding of five major national parties except the BJP.

Sources

bhaskarhindi.com · bhaskarlive.in · bilkulonline.com · khabarindiatv.com · madhyamamonline.com · newindianexpress.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · samacharnama.com · scroll.in · thecsrjournal.in · thefinancialworld.com · timesnownews.com

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history