Ashutosh Ranka, who was previously associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and is now the co-convenor of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), donated ₹21,100 to AAP during the 2025-26 financial year, according to the party’s contribution report submitted to the Election Commission. Ranka’s contribution is among 1,202 numbered entries in the filing, which records the donors and amounts contributed to the party during the financial year. The disclosure comes after Ranka moved into a prominent role in the CJP, which has recently been active in political campaigns and public programmes in several parts of the country.

AAP reported total disclosed contributions of about ₹12.10 crore for 2025-26, marking a 68 per cent decline from the ₹38.10 crore reported in the previous financial year. Two donors accounted for most of the amount disclosed in the latest filing. Prudent Electoral Trust and Trident Limited each contributed ₹5 crore, together making up nearly 83 per cent of the party’s total disclosed contributions. The filing therefore shows that Ranka’s ₹21,100 contribution represented only a small portion of AAP’s overall reported donations for the year.

The donor list also includes contributions from several senior AAP figures. Arvind Kejriwal is listed as making three separate contributions of ₹10,000 each, while former Delhi chief minister Atishi contributed a total of ₹42,000 through 12 payments of ₹3,500 each. Punjab AAP president Aman Arora is listed as having contributed ₹1.20 lakh through 12 payments. The report covers the financial year 2025-26 and is separate from the party’s broader annual financial statements, which provide details of its overall income and expenditure.

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Ranka’s donation has come into focus as questions around the funding arrangements of the CJP have emerged following his recent political activities. Ranka travelled to Assam as part of the group’s “School Thik Karo” campaign and was detained along with other CJP members and volunteers during a planned meeting in Guwahati. Ranka later said the detention had ended, while reports noted that the group was released after being taken into custody by Assam Police. The circumstances surrounding the detention have drawn competing claims from the CJP and authorities.

In a subsequent interview, Ranka was asked about how the CJP was financing its activities. He jokingly referred to the PM CARES Fund before saying that the organisation had not yet undergone an audit and challenging people to examine its funding. He also described the CJP as a spontaneous movement that had not fully streamlined its financial arrangements. According to his account, supporters initially contributed cash during the group’s Jantar Mantar campaign, but the practice was later stopped because of uncertainty over which QR code and bank account should be used to receive donations.

Ranka said the group subsequently shifted towards in-kind support, with supporters being asked to provide items such as food, mattresses and tarpaulins instead of making monetary contributions. He also said volunteers in Assam had helped support his team during the visit. The ₹21,100 AAP contribution disclosed in the Election Commission filing relates to the 2025-26 financial year and was made before Ranka took up his present role in the CJP.

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