Fund-raising dinners are by no means the sole proprietorship of the US or the West, but Indian politicians are not known to have warmed up to them. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has scheduled a fund-raising dinner in Bangalore during a two-day visit by Arvind Kejriwal, the face of the rookie party.
According to AAP sources, Kejriwal would be coming to Bangalore on a two-day visit on the weekend to participate in a fund-raising dinner initiatives and launch his party’s campaign in the State.
The event is being coordinated by former Infosys Board member and party’s prospective candidate from Bangalore Central, V Balakrishnan, who quit the company before emerging as the face of the AAP in Karnataka.
Even though the contest is directly between the Congress and the BJP, parties like the JD(S) and the AAP could play spoilsport in a couple of constituencies.
AAP Karnataka media coordinator Rohit Ranjan said a dinner has been scheduled for March 15 in the city with an intention to raise funds for the party. Balakrishnan is coordinating this event.
He said, “Invitees from all the walks of life like corporates, people from film field... are expected to attend the dinner and donate to the cause for which our party stands.”
Asked about reports that fund-raiser dinner is at Rs 20,000 per person, Ranjan said, “Modalities of this event are being worked out and it will be premature to comment about it; we are working on the modalities still.”
AAP leader Kejriwal who will be here from March 15 is scheduled to hold road show in and around Bangalore on day one, followed by public rally on March 16.
Karnataka is among the top four States in terms of offering donation to the AAP. According to AAP data, Rs 76.68 lakh was donated from Karnataka, making it the fourth highest State after Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, AAP sources also indicated that Balakrishnan is likely to be the party’s candidate from Bangalore Central lok Sabha constituency against the incumbent PC Mohan of the BJP. Congress is yet to announce the candidate.