Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called on the Election Commission (EC) to investigate a report alleging that ten little-known political parties in Gujarat received ₹4,300 crore in funds over the past five years despite barely contesting elections.
According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, these parties collectively fielded just 43 candidates between 2019 and 2024, covering the two Lok Sabha elections and the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls. Together, they secured only 54,069 votes. Despite this limited electoral presence, their audit reports indicated expenditures of around ₹3,500 crore, although they officially reported just ₹39.02 lakh in spending.
The parties named in the report include Lokshahi Satta Party, Bharatiya National Janata Dal, Swatantra Abhivyakti Party, New India United Party, Satyawadi Rakshak Party, Bharatiya Janparishad, Saurashtra Janata Paksh, Jan Man Party, Manavadhikar National Party, and Gareeb Kalyan Party.
Gandhi questioned how these outfits managed to access such vast sums and where the money was ultimately directed.
“Will the Election Commission carry out an investigation, or will it ask for an affidavit here too? Or will it change laws, so that this data can also be hidden?” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote on X.
His remarks also referenced the EC’s recent demand that he submit an affidavit to support his claims of large-scale irregularities in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Bangalore Central constituency. Gandhi had earlier alleged discrepancies in over one lakh voter names, accusing the poll body of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, however, insisted Gandhi must either back his allegations with an affidavit or apologise to the nation.