Gujarat’s little-known parties collected ₹4,300 crore in donations, spent almost nothing: Report
Ahmedabad: A startling case of financial irregularities has come to light in Gujarat. Ten little-known political parties, largely unheard of by the public, collected over ₹4,300 crore in donations between 2019–20 and 2023–24. Together, these parties contested only 43 candidates across three elections, the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the 2022 Gujarat Assembly election, and secured a mere 54,069 votes.
According to a Dainik Bhaskar investigation, the election expenditure declarations filed with the Election Commission showed a combined spend of just ₹39.02 lakh. However, the audited financial statements of the same parties listed their expenditure at over ₹3,500 crore, raising serious doubts of large-scale fund diversion.
Party-Wise Breakdown
Lokshahi Satta Party – Donations: ₹1,045 crore | Reported spend: ₹1,031 crore | Actual spend: ₹2.27 lakh
Satyavadi Rakshak Party – Donations: ₹416 crore | Reported spend: ₹416 crore | Actual spend: ₹1.43 lakh
New India United Party – Donations: ₹608 crore | Reported spend: ₹407 crore | Actual spend: ₹1.61 lakh
Bharatiya National Janata Dal – Donations: ₹962 crore | Reported spend: ₹961 crore | Actual spend: ₹2.83 lakh
Swatantra Abhivyakti Party – Donations: ₹663 crore | Reported spend: ₹73 crore | Actual spend: ₹12.18 lakh
Bharatiya Jan Parishad – Donations: ₹249 crore | Reported spend: ₹247 crore | Actual spend: ₹14.5 lakh
Saurashtra Janata Party – Donations: ₹200 crore | Reported spend: ₹199 crore | Actual spend: ₹1.47 lakh
Jan Man Party – Donations: ₹133 crore | Reported spend: ₹133 crore | Actual spend: ₹1.31 lakh
Manavadhikar National Party – Donations: ₹120 crore | No audit details | Actual spend: ₹82,000
Garib Kalyan Party – Donations: ₹138 crore | No audit details | Actual spend: ₹3.27 lakh
Violations and loopholes
Investigations found that at least one party, the Satyavadi Rakshak Party, received hundreds of crores in donations without submitting valid PAN details, which are mandatory for large contributions. Officials also noted that while election-time expenses were negligible, audit reports showed inflated expenditure, suggesting funds were diverted elsewhere.
Donations to these parties came not only from Gujarat but from 23 states across India, further complicating the trail of money.
ADR raises red flag
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has highlighted these discrepancies as clear signs of money laundering and tax evasion, calling for stricter oversight of political funding.
Election Commission crackdown
On the recommendation of Gujarat’s Chief Election Officer, the Income Tax Department has been asked to investigate these parties. The Election Commission has also cancelled their registrations, effectively removing them from the list of recognised political entities.
This revelation comes amid ongoing debates about Electoral Bonds and the opacity of political financing in India. While attention has mostly focused on big national and regional parties such as the BJP, Congress, TMC, SP, and NCP, the Gujarat case reveals how obscure parties functioned as conduits for massive financial transactions, sidestepping transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
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Woman dies by suicide over new mobile phone in UP's Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Feb 14 (PTI): A 27-year-old woman allegedly hanged herself to death in her residence over not being given a new mobile phone by her husband here, police said on Saturday.
Prima facie, this seems to be a case of suicide, they said.
The incident occurred on Friday in Khedi Sarai village under Mirapur police station area, and the deceased has been identified as Radhika (27), wife of Ashish Sharma, they said.
SHO of Mirapur Rajiv Sharma told reporters that on getting information, police rushed to the spot and sent the body of the deceased for post-mortem examination.
The deceased had demanded a new mobile from her husband, who had gone to Odisha for work. Her husband Ashish has sent only Rs 2,000, while she was demanding Rs 10,000, Ashish's mother, Premo, said.
The deceased is survived by a three-year-old son.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
