AAP donations drop in 2025-26; the company of MP who later joined the BJP, Ashutosh Ranka among the donors

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Assembly Arvind Kejriwal. File | Photo credit: PTI

AAP has disclosed contributions of ₹12.10 crore for 2025-26, down 68% from the previous year, with nearly 83% of the amount coming from the Prudent Electoral Trust and Trident Limited, a company founded by former party MP Rajinder Gupta.

According to the party’s contribution report to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Ashutosh Ranka, now co-convenor of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who previously served as AAP spokesperson, has donated ₹21,100 to the party.

The contributions were made in 2025-2026 before he took up his role at CJP.

Prudent and Trident gave ₹5 crore each to AAP. The remaining contributions were around ₹2.10 crore.

Mr. Gupta was elected to the Rajya Sabha on an AAP ticket in October 2025.

The ₹5 crore Trident check was dated January 9, 2026, when Mr. Gupta was with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. He joined the BJP in April this year.

AAP posted contributions of ₹38.10 crore in 2024–25, more than triple the ₹11.06 crore it reported in 2023–24. Prudent was its largest donor in 2024-25, giving ₹16.40 crore.

The latest filing is for the first full financial year since the AAP lost power in Delhi in February 2025. The party continues to rule Punjab, home to Trident. His report contains 1,202 numbered entries.

Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is listed against three contributions of ₹10,000 each. Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has made 12 payments of ₹3,500 each, totaling ₹42,000, while Punjab AAP president Aman Arora is facing 12 payments of ₹10,000 each, totaling ₹1.20 lakh.

Reports from three other regional parties

Reports filed by three other regional parties also show how their published contributions have changed since the 2024 general election.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which came to power in Andhra Pradesh, reported contributions of ₹58.25 crore for 2025–26, down from ₹83.03 crore the previous year. The Prudent Electoral Trust gave her ₹45 crore, up from ₹40 crore in 2024–25.

The YSR Congress Party, which was ousted from power by the TDP, reported contributions worth ₹24.31 crore, down from around ₹140.04 crore in 2024-25. Its largest donor in the last filing was Goodwood Sanctuary Private Limited, traded at ₹ 10 crore.

The Biju Janata Dal, which lost power in Odisha in 2024, did not report any contributions above ₹20,000 in its latest report. It posted ₹60 crore in 2024-25, all of which it received in April and May 2024, before the election results were announced. The party also failed to report any such contributions in 2022-23 and 2023-24 when electoral bonds were still available.

According to the rules, parties must identify donors whose contributions exceed ₹20,000 during a financial year. These contribution reports do not include the party’s full annual income, which is reported separately in the audited financial statements.

Published – 29 Sep 2026 10:34 IST