JOIN USThe more popular among the Aam Aadmi Party leaders have been getting more donations.
The AAP website offers supporters the option to pick and choose the constituency on which their money would be spent.
The party chief Arvind Kejriwal and tribal leader Soni Sori now lead the donation chart.
AAP said their candidates are getting only partial funding from the party.
“Many party candidates are getting donations from their well-wishers. On the website, one can choose to donate for a specific constituency,” said AAP member Bipul Dey.
He said Kejriwal got over Rs 10 lakh in donations for his Varanasi Lok Sabha seat where he is contesting against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Sori, who is contesting from the Chhattisgarh's Maoist-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, has also received generous donations for her campaign.
According to her affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, she has a bank deposit of merely Rs 424.
Other known faces like Kumar Vishwas, Yogendra Yadav and Sazia Ilmi are also getting healthy donations.
Many donors while donating for a specific Lok Sabha constituency write messages, stating what they expect from the candidate. Some also write good luck messages to their favoured candidate.
Dey said that more and more donors are telling at what level their donations should be spent.
Most of the donations to the party are coming from Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Haryana. Indians staying abroad are also making generous donations.
On Thursday, AAP received nearly Rs 23 lakh through online donations.
According to Election Commission rules, a candidate is entitled to spend up to Rs 54 lakh or Rs 70 lakh -- depending on the size of the districts -- for the election campaign after the model code of conduct kicks in.
Considering the one-and-a-half year old party’s funds constraints, many candidates would have to spend their own pocket or will be limited well within the spending limit.
“The candidates are also raising funds in their own constituencies. The party is sponsoring candidates for specific purposes like organising rallies,” said Dey.