Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Rahul Gandhi called for an Election Commission of India (ECI) probe after a Dainik Bhaskar report alleged that ten Gujarat-based registered unrecognised political parties received ₹4,300 crore in donations over five financial years, FY 2019–20 through FY 2023–24. The reported figures prompted questions about disclosure and oversight; they are not, by themselves, proof of fraud or a confirmed finding by the ECI.
What prompted Gandhi’s demand?
On August 27, 2025, Gandhi shared the Dainik Bhaskar report and asked whether the ECI would investigate or require an affidavit from the parties. PTI reported his description of them as “anonymous parties” whose names few people had heard of, while the newspaper named all ten. In this context, “anonymous” was political shorthand: the parties were described as registered unrecognised political parties, not as legally unnamed or unregistered entities. PTI coverage via NDTV.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a cover up | $9.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Gujarat Riots: the True Story: The Truth of the 2002 Riots | $23.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today's India | $35.46 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Between Memory and Forgetting: Massacre and the Modi Years in Gujarat | $16.91 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
The Bongo Book | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Gandhi also asked where the money came from, who was running the parties, and where the money went. Those are questions raised by the report, not answers established by it.
What did the newspaper report?
According to Dainik Bhaskar’s findings as described in contemporary coverage, the ten parties received ₹4,300 crore in donations during FY 2019–20 to FY 2023–24. The newspaper also reported that they fielded 43 candidates across the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2022 Gujarat Assembly election, who together received 54,069 votes. PTI coverage via NDTV.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match#1 Best Overall
The report named these parties:
- 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
- Gareeb Kalyan Party
Why were the expenditure figures notable?
Coverage attributed to Dainik Bhaskar a comparison between ₹39.02 lakh shown in election expenditure reports and ₹3,500 crore in expenditure recorded in audited accounts. These are different reporting categories: one concerns election-specific spending, while the other concerns audited expenditure. The figures were not independently reconciled in the coverage reviewed here, so the comparison alone does not establish that money was misused or that reporting rules were broken. PTI coverage via NDTV.
What must registered unrecognised parties disclose?
The ECI’s May 25, 2022 announcement described several transparency obligations for Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs): contribution reports under Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951; audited accounts under ECI transparency directions; and election expenditure statements due within 75 days of Assembly elections and 90 days of Lok Sabha elections. The ECI said that missing required compliance deprives voters and the Commission of basic factual information needed to support free, fair and transparent elections. ECI announcement via PIB.
The Commission’s announcement also described enforcement measures against parties that had failed to comply with requirements. That general framework explains why financial and election disclosures matter, but it does not establish that any of the ten parties named in the newspaper report violated the rules.
Did the Election Commission investigate?
Contemporary reports said there was no immediate ECI response to this specific allegation. The reviewed accounts do not establish whether the Commission later opened or completed a probe into the ₹4,300 crore report, or what such a probe might have found. Coverage of an ECI demand that Gandhi submit an affidavit or apologise concerned his earlier claims about voter rolls; it should not be mistaken for a response to this separate donations allegation. PTI coverage via NDTV.
Rank #3
What later reporting added
A September 5, 2026 Scroll report, summarizing BBC News Hindi reporting and ECI and ADR data, said six Gujarat-based RUPPs received ₹1,700 crore in FY 2023–24. The report compared that with ₹1,480 crore received by five national parties it named, and said the six Gujarat parties fielded 15 candidates in the 2024 general election. Five of the six were among the ten parties in the 2025 Dainik Bhaskar report. Scroll.
This later report concerns a different group of parties and a single financial year, rather than the earlier five-year, ten-party total. It adds context to questions about donations and disclosure, but does not show that the 2025 allegations were proven or that the ECI reached a conclusion on Gandhi’s request.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
