AAP donations plunge in 2025–26; Trident of MP who later joined BJP and Ashutosh Ranka among donors
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declared ₹12.10 crore in contributions for the financial year 2025–26, a 68% fall from the previous year’s tally, with nearly 83% of the total coming from two sources — Prudent Electoral Trust and Trident Limited, the latter founded by former AAP Rajya Sabha MP Rajinder Gupta. The party’s filing with the Election Commission of India (ECI) also records a donation from Ashutosh Ranka, who later became a co-convener of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after serving as an AAP spokesperson.
Donations dominated by two major contributors
According to AAP’s contribution report submitted to the ECI, Prudent Electoral Trust and Trident Limited each contributed ₹5 crore in 2025–26, together accounting for almost five-sixths of the party’s declared receipts above the ₹20,000 disclosure threshold. The remaining contributions added up to approximately ₹2.10 crore.
Trident’s ₹5-crore cheque was dated January 9, 2026, when founder Rajinder Gupta was still with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. Mr. Gupta had been elected to the Rajya Sabha on an AAP ticket in October 2025 before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in April 2026. AAP noted that all listed contributions, including those from Trident and Mr. Gupta’s company, were received during 2025–26.
Individual donations and party figures
The report lists Ashutosh Ranka against a donation of ₹21,100. The filing specifies that the contribution was made in 2025–26, prior to Mr. Ranka assuming his role in the CJP.
Among party leaders, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is recorded as having made three contributions of ₹10,000 each. Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi is listed with 12 payments of ₹3,500 apiece, totalling ₹42,000, while Punjab AAP president Aman Arora made 12 contributions of ₹10,000 each, totalling ₹1.20 lakh. In all, the contribution report contains 1,202 numbered entries.
Comparison with previous years
The declared contributions of ₹12.10 crore in 2025–26 mark a sharp decline from the ₹38.10 crore AAP reported in 2024–25, which itself was more than triple the ₹11.06 crore disclosed in 2023–24. Prudent Electoral Trust was also the party’s largest donor in 2024–25, with a contribution of ₹16.40 crore.
The latest filing covers the first full financial year since AAP lost power in Delhi in February 2025. The party continues to govern Punjab, where Trident Limited is based.
How other regional parties fared
Contribution reports filed by three other regional parties reflect significant shifts since the 2024 assembly elections:
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which returned to power in Andhra Pradesh, reported ₹58.25 crore in contributions for 2025–26, down from ₹83.03 crore in 2024–25. Prudent Electoral Trust gave the TDP ₹45 crore in 2025–26, up from ₹40 crore the previous year.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), unseated by the TDP, disclosed ₹24.31 crore in contributions for 2025–26, a steep drop from about ₹140.04 crore in 2024–25. Its largest donor in the latest filing was Goodwood Sanctuary Private Limited, with ₹10 crore.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which lost power in Odisha in 2024, reported no contributions above ₹20,000 in its latest filing. In 2024–25, it had declared ₹60 crore in contributions, all received in April and May 2024, ahead of the election results. The BJD had filed nil reports for such contributions in 2022–23 and 2023–24, when electoral bonds were still available.
Rules on disclosure and scope of reports
Under ECI rules, political parties must identify and report donors whose contributions exceed ₹20,000 in a financial year. These contribution reports capture only the disclosed donations above that threshold and do not represent a party’s full annual income, which is detailed separately in audited accounts.
Significance
The AAP’s latest filing underscores a sharp contraction in disclosed contributions in the first full year after losing office in Delhi, even as two large donors continued to anchor its receipts. The filings by the TDP, YSRCP and BJD further illustrate how donor flows to regional parties can shift markedly following electoral outcomes. As per the rules, fuller financial pictures will emerge through audited annual accounts filed separately with the ECI.
