The Gujarat Police have registered a criminal case against the Bharatiya National Janata Dal (BNJD) and four of its office-bearers over an alleged bogus political donation racket involving ₹1,143.85 crore and 56,238 donors, with the Income Tax Department estimating a direct tax loss of nearly ₹343 crore to the exchequer. The FIR, filed on 25 September 2026, marks one of the largest alleged political donation fraud cases to surface in Gujarat in recent years.

How the Alleged Racket Operated

According to the Income Tax complaint, the alleged transactions took place between financial years 2019-20 and 2024-25. Taxpayers reportedly transferred money to the BNJD through banking channels, including RTGS, and received official donation receipts that allowed them to claim tax deductions available for contributions to political parties under the Income Tax Act.

Investigators allege that the funds were then routed from the party's accounts to intermediary firms — including J Trading, Kajal Enterprises, and Parmar Associates — using false bills and invoices purportedly showing purchases of foodgrains, pulses, and other commodities. The money was subsequently withdrawn in cash.

The complaint alleges that commissions ranging from 2% to 10% were retained, and the remaining amount was returned to the original donors through Angadiya channels and hawala networks. Approximately 2.91 lakh receipts were reportedly recovered during Income Tax searches.

Who Has Been Named

The FIR, registered by the CID Crime, Gandhinagar Zone, on the basis of complaints by Income Tax officials, names:

Surendrakumar Gajera, BNJD president, described as the alleged main accused and lynchpin of the operation who reportedly supervised the network and determined commission rates; Vipul Solanki, general secretary, accused of coordinating donor details through messaging platforms and issuing signed donation receipts; Ronaksinh Chavda, treasurer, from whose premises transaction records and digital communications — including alleged chats with middlemen regarding Angadiya channel transactions — were reportedly recovered; and Adil Saiyed, the party's chartered accountant and auditor, who is alleged to have prepared and digitally signed audit reports without properly verifying the party's accounts, visiting its office, or examining genuine transactions.

It must be noted that these allegations have not been established by a court.

Election Commission Records Allegedly Falsified

The complaint further alleges that false accounting records and contribution reports in Form 24A were prepared and submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI), presenting the purported transactions as genuine political donations. The BNJD is a registered but unrecognised political party that has contested elections in Gujarat and has reported substantial donations in its filings in earlier years — figures that investigators now allege were fabricated.

IT Searches and the Investigative Trail

The Income Tax Department conducted searches at the BNJD office in Gandhinagar and premises linked to its office-bearers in November 2025. The subsequent investigation, according to police, formed the basis of the criminal complaint filed nearly ten months later.

The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to cheating, criminal conspiracy, forgery, and use of forged documents.

What Happens Next

With the CID Crime now leading the probe, investigators are expected to trace the full trail of funds through intermediary firms and informal money channels. The scale of the alleged racket — spanning six financial years and tens of thousands of purported donors — points to a sustained and structured operation, according to the complaint. A court will ultimately determine whether the allegations hold.