As part of 2017 Assembly poll preparations Gujarat BJP leadership is planning to launch a fundraising initiative — ‘Dhan Daan’. The saffron party had successfully completed this fund-raising drive five years back before the 2012 Assembly polls and collected over Rs 200 crore.
Sources in the State BJP said that party cadres, including Gujarat CM, senior Ministers, MlAs and MPs apart from important party office-bearers, would join the initiative. In the previous ‘Dhan Daan’ initiative in 2012, a day’s salary was donated by the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers. Besides, BJP MlAs and MPs from Gujarat had also contributed a day’s salary.
"We plan to collect more funds than the previous Assembly polls as the party cadre would have adequate time to raise money. Generally BJP sympathisers contribute as per their will to support the initiative. We are expecting to kick-start the initiative in near future once the State leadership officially announces it," said a senior BJP leader.
The Gujarat BJP had submitted an account-sheet of the fund collected under ‘Dhan Daan’ initiative to the Election commission of India (ECI). As per the account-sheet, the BJP had collected around Rs 220 crore ahead of the 2012 Assembly polls.
Not only the BJP but even the Congress had collected around Rs 70 crore from the State to contest the 2012 Assembly polls. Generally, big corporates, businessmen and high net-worth individuals (HNIs) contribute to the lion’s share in such fund-raising initiatives of political parties.
In the upcoming 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadami Party (AAP) is also pulling up its socks to contest from all the Assembly constituencies. The Kejriwal-led party too is likely to raise fund from the State.