Congress launches 'Donate for Desh' crowdfunding campaign, Kharge donates Rs 1,38,000

The Congress launched a nationwide crowdfunding campaign 'Donate for Desh' on Monday, December, 18 to generate resources for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress said the campaign will be launched by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi. According to the Congress, Indians who are older than eighteen (18) can contribute to the campaign with a minimum of Rs 138 or in multiples of Rs 1,380, Rs 13,800, and so on.

Kharge donated a sum of Rs 1,38,000 from his salary to launch the "Donate for Desh" campaign in the presence of party leaders and general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh and treasurer Ajay Maken.

Congress MP KC Venugopal said the crowd funding initiative was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's historic 'Tilak Swaraj Fund', which was launched more than a hundred years ago in 1920-21. He said the initiative aims to empower the party in creating an India that is rich in equal resource distribution and opportunities.

Prior to the most recent general elections, on October 2, 2018, the party started a "outreach-cum-crowdfunding" campaign; however, the campaign did not pick up any steam locally. According to reports, the party is short on funds and unable to compete with the well-oiled BJP electoral apparatus. It has been claimed that because the programme is set up to benefit the ruling party, the BJP is receiving the bulk of electoral bonds.

Up until the party's founding day on December 28, the campaign will mostly be conducted online. Following that, community outreach will begin, involving volunteer door-to-door canvassing of at least ten households in each booth in exchange for contributions of at least Rs 138 from each participant. 

• 2024 Lok Sabha election
• Congress
• Donate for Desh
• Mallikarjun Kharge
• crowdfunding campaign