New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) — Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised concerns over a media report that claimed anonymous entities in Gujarat received donations amounting to Rs 4,300 crore between 2019-20 and 2023-24 and questioned whether the Election Commission would investigate these claims or simply request an affidavit. There was no immediate response from the Election Commission (EC).
Gandhi, who serves as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, took to the platform X to share the report, which stated that in Gujarat, 10 anonymously registered political parties received a substantial Rs 4,300 crore in donations over the last few years. During this timeframe, which included the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2022 assembly elections, these parties fielded only 43 candidates, collectively garnering just 54,069 votes.
According to the report, while their election reports detailed expenditures of only Rs 39.02 lakh, audit reports indicated a staggering Rs 3,500 crore in spending. In his post in Hindi on X, Gandhi expressed bewilderment, stating, "There are some anonymous parties in Gujarat whose names no one has heard of — yet they received donations worth Rs 4,300 crore!"
Gandhi questioned the origin of these funds, asking, "Where did these thousands of crores come from? Who is running these parties? And where did the money go?" He further inquired whether the Election Commission would initiate an investigation or merely seek an affidavit. He also took a jibe at the Commission, wondering whether it might even amend laws to obscure such data.Following Gandhi's allegations of electoral roll irregularities, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar remarked on August 17 at a press conference that Gandhi should either submit an affidavit with evidence of the alleged irregularities or issue an apology to the nation.
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