Source: 
Author: 
Date: 
11.01.2017
City: 
Chandigarh

Even as AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that his party does not have enough funds to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab and Goa, the information submitted by the party with the Election Commission shows that the party earned Rs 110.06 crore between fiscal 2012-13 and 2014-15. What's more, a report prepared by non-political groups Association of Democratic Reforms and Punjab Election Watch, shows that AAP got more funds from Punjab than either Congress or BJP did.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received the second highest amount of funds among political parties in Punjab and Chandigarh during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 financial years, shows the report titled 'Analysis of Income Tax Returns and Donations Received By National and Regional Parties of Punjab'.

According to the report, AAP received Rs 15.44 lakh in the 2013-14 fiscal and Rs 32.84 lakh in the 2014-15 financial year. Only Punjab-based Shiromani Akali Dal did better than Kejriwal's party with Rs 44.47 lakh in 2013-14 and Rs 2.56 crore in 2014-15.

Donations for AAP were more than the BJP's Rs 51,000 in 2013-14, and Rs 22.71 lakh in 2014-15. On the other hand, the Congress did not get any donation during the two years. From 2010 to 2015, AAP received the third highest amount of funds in the form of donations in the election-bound state and its capital, shows the report. The amount could have been higher if the party would have been active before 2012.

Across the country, AAP had a total income of Rs 110.06 crore during the five years, says the report. Of this amount, Rs 108.25 crore was collected in the form of donations and contributions.

The Delhi CM had claimed in Goa on Sunday that his "honest" party did not have the money to fight the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab and Goa. "We don't have a single penny to contest Punjab and Goa polls. Our bank account is empty," he had said at a public meeting in Goa's Mapusa town. "We are in power in Delhi for the past two years and could have minted money. But even two years down the line, we don't have it to fight polls," he had said.

SAD received the highest amount of funds during the five-year period at Rs 4.5 crore. BJP received the second highest amount of funds during the five years — Rs 59.15 lakh. There were only two years when Congress got donations in Punjab and Chandigarh — Rs 1.1 lakh in 2010-11 and Rs 18.43 lakh in 2014-15.

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