Cash-strapped Congress to revive crowdfunding at district level

NEW DELHI: Just over a year after Income Tax notices forced it to discontinue its newly launched "crowdfunding" platform for resource mobilisation, Congress is set to reintroduce the novel programme with a nationwide focus down to the district level, which would complement its move to empower the organisation's bottom rung.

Congress has finalised a revamped crowdfunding plan where donations would be invited at the district level. A page dedicated to every district will be opened on the official party website, and each resident can pick his district to contribute to the Congress kitty.

It will be different from the "donate for desh" launched in December 2023 ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections.

After it was launched on December 18, 2023, the initiative created a splash as a first of its kind in the political sphere, and made bigger news as the principal opposition party's bid to overcome the funding skew created by the later-scrapped electoral bonds scheme that was viewed to favour the governing party. Congress got Rs 25 crore in one and half months, through 3 lakh donors. But the donation platform had to be paused abruptly in view of the IT notices to Congress, that saw the department take massive "liens" on its accounts, which threatened to funnel the money generated through crowdfunding into the govt kitty.

Congress treasurer Ajay Maken recently gave a plan to district presidents on how the party proposes to generate funds at district level which can be used by local units for their functioning and programmes.

According to the plan, the money generated in a district will be turned into a corpus fund, and Congress will provide a matching amount, and interest generated on the money will help finance organisational activities. Sources, however, said donations will be to AICC account only, as it alone is legally entitled to accept donations.