Sonia, Rahul Gandhi contribute less to party coffer

The Congress' first family contributed much less than the leaders at its lower echelons – at least to the party's coffer.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi contributed Rs 54,000 to the party fund in 2018-19 financial year. Her son Rahul Gandhi, who led the grand old party till the parliamentary polls earlier this year, contributed an equal amount, according to a report submitted by the Congress to the Election Commission (EC).

The leaders at the lower echelons of the party, however, contributed more than Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, both of whom are members of the Lok Sabha.

Motilal Vora, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and a member of the Rajya Sabha, contributed Rs 2 lakh. Pratap Singh Bajwa, a member of the Rajya Sabha, contributed Rupees One Lakh.

Kumari Selja, president of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, and Krishna Byregowda, a former minister in State Government of Karnataka and a member of the state Assembly, contributed Rs One Lakh each. Sushmita Dev, Mahila Congress president and a former MP, contributed Rs Two Lakh to the party's coffer.

Sonia Gandhi declared personal assets worth Rs 11.02 crore in the affidavit she filed along with her nomination to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Raebareilly Parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh in April-May this year.

She had declared assets worth Rs 9.28 crore in 2014.

Rahul Gandhi's assets too grew from Rs 9.4 crore in 2014 to Rs 15.88 crore in 2019, according to the affidavit she filed along with his nomination to contest from Wayanad in Kerala in April-May parliamentary elections.