Delhi polls: Lunches to crowdfunding, how AAP poll picks are raising campaign money

This is not the first time Atishi has sought money for her campaign online. Last year when she was campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls from the East Delhi constituency, she raised Rs 70 lakh. She has centred her campaign around “Delhi’s transformed education model”.




Amid the traditional lunches and small community meetings, AAP candidates are running campaigns to crowd fund their elections.

Senior AAP leader and Kalkaji candidate Atishi launched her crowdfunding campaign on an online portal Friday night. By 10 pm on Saturday, she had managed to raise a little over Rs 7 lakh. According to the rules of the EC, a legislative assembly hopeful is allowed to spend Rs 28 lakh on their campaign, which is the target amount of the campaign.

This is not the first time Atishi has sought money for her campaign online. Last year when she was campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls from the East Delhi constituency, she raised Rs 70 lakh. She has centred her campaign around “Delhi’s transformed education model”.

Five top funders of the campaign have donated Rs 50,000 each and several others have donated Rs 100. Around 237 people have supported her campaign so far.

AAP’s national spokesperson and Greater Kailash candidate Saurabh Bharadwaj also launched a crowdfunding campaign earlier this year. He has received Rs 7 lakh from 125 supporters, with the top supporter donating Rs 2.5 lakh.

“When AAP was contesting for the first time in 2013, volunteers would go around with a chaddar (sheet) to collect money, but we did not want to accept cash and shifted to crowdfunding. It enables people to give small amounts as well and is documented,” said Abhinandita Mathur, who is managing Atishi’s campaign.

Deputy CM Sisodia also started a crowdfunding campaign, managing to reach his Rs 28 lakh target in 48 hours.

According to Pankaj Gupta, the party’s campaign director for the upcoming polls, more people are planning to start their crowdfunding campaigns after nominations.

“The party is also looking at the traditional forms of securing funding, such as community-specific meetings and fundraising lunches and dinners. We got close to Rs 1.5 crore at a recent meet with traders and almost 1 crore from restaurant associations. Smaller meetings of 40-50 people each are also taking place,” he said.

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