No cash`crunch 1.3 crore for at AAP, fundraiser party collects
DONATIONS AT EVENT, WHICH OFFERED ‘SIMPLE’ VEGETARIAN SPREAD TO PARTICIPANTS, VARIED FROM `1,000 TO `2 LAKH
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party raised `1.13 crore at a dinner with city traders on Saturday, seeing almost a six-fold jump in donations from 2014 when the trade wing first held such an event.
The increase in donations — the 2014 dinner contributions amounted to `20 lakh — and that, too, in times of demonetisation was an indication of AAP’s growing popularity among traders, the traditional support base of the BJP, party leaders said.
Looking to expand its reach, the Delhi’s ruling party has stepped up fund collection as it makes assembly poll debut in Punjab and Goa. Both the states vote on February 4.
“We managed to raise `1.13 crore from the traders. The donations varied from `1,000 to `2 lakh,” AAP’s trade wing convener Brijesh Goyal said.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was the chief guest at the fundraiser attended by industry minister Satyendra Jain, AAP legislators and around 450 traders, party sources said.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is out of Delhi, busy campaigning in Punjab and Goa.
On offer was a “simple” vegetarian fare and there were no tickets unlike the 2014 event, held in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, where a diner paid at least `20,000.
“Though only those who pledged support and donated some amount were allowed in the dinner, there was no lower cap on the amount,” Goyal said, adding none of the participants came from big corporate houses.
Around 85% of the donations were in cheques, while the rest was in cash which would be deposited in the party’s bank account, Goyal said.
He said Saturday’s dinner, the fourth such fundraiser hosted by the trade wing, was the most successful. Two such dinners organised ahead of the 2015 assembly polls fetched `50 lakh and `60 lakh.
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