The New Indian Express ·
Gujarat-based unrecognised political party received Rs 290-crore donations despite 8,542 votes
AHMEDABAD: A Gujarat-based Registered Unrecognised Political Party (RUPP), the New India United Party, has come under scrutiny after its audited accounts submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) showed a huge mismatch between its electoral performance and the funds it reportedly handled during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The party contested only three Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat and secured a combined 8,542 votes. However, according to its audited accounts for April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, submitted to the ECI, it reported receiving donations worth around Rs 290 crore.
According to the party's official website, Amit Chaturvedi is its national president. The website says he worked with the Congress for nearly 15 years and has lived in Ahmedabad for the past 40 years. It lists the party's priorities as medical health, Hindutva, job creation and education.
The audited accounts also show unusually high election-related spending. The party reportedly spent Rs 20.70 crore on loudspeakers and microphones, Rs 26.33 crore on pamphlets and banners, Rs 20.99 crore on flags and dupattas, Rs 92.77 crore on campaign expenditure and Rs 75.90 crore on rallies, morchas and food.
After these expenses, the accounts showed a surplus of around Rs 1.46 crore.
The figures have raised questions over the scale, source and utilisation of funds by political parties with a limited electoral presence and renewed attention on financial transparency among unrecognised political parties.
The issue comes as the ECI has intensified scrutiny of RUPPs. Earlier this year, the commission directed presidents, general secretaries and chairpersons of RUPPs across states and Union Territories to submit mandatory financial reports.
According to the ECI, there are 2,520 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties in the country.
Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, political parties can accept voluntary contributions from individuals and companies. They must report contributions exceeding Rs 20,000 received during a financial year within the prescribed deadline.
The ECI has clarified that contribution reports submitted after the deadline will be treated as non-compliance and will not be taken on record for any purpose.
RUPPs are also required to submit audited annual accounts and election expenditure statements to the Chief Electoral Officer of the state where they are headquartered. The commission has flagged several cases of parties failing to submit these documents or filing them late.
In the first phase of its clean-up exercise in 2025, the ECI delisted 334 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties for non-compliance.
The reported figures in the New India United Party's accounts do not by themselves establish any financial wrongdoing. However, the wide gap between its reported donations, expenditure and electoral performance has raised questions over transparency and scrutiny of political funding involving unrecognised political parties.