Who is Rajinder Gupta? Billionaire from Punjab who gave 40% of AAP’s donations before BJP switch

Trident's ₹5-crore cheque was dated January 9, 2026, when Gupta was with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. Gupta thus contributed 40 % of AAP donations last year. However, Gupta joined the BJP, along with six other MPs, in April this year.

Political donations to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came down by 68 % in FY-26 compared to previous year, party's contribution report filed with the Election Commission have revealed.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has disclosed ₹12.10 crore in contributions for 2025-26. Nearly 83 per cent of the amount has been contributed by Prudent Electoral Trust and Trident Limited, a company founded by former AAP MP Rajinder Gupta.

Prudent Electoral Trust gave ₹5 crore to the AAP. Trident gave ₹5 Crore too. The remaining contributions totalled about ₹2.10 crore.

Prudent Electoral Trust is the richest electoral trust in the country. About 90 per cent of the corporate donations to political parties come through this Trust, which was earlier known as Satya Electoral Trust.

Gupta was elected to the Rajya Sabha on an AAP ticket in October 2025.

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Trident's ₹5-crore cheque was dated January 9, 2026, when Gupta was with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. Gupta thus contributed 40 % of AAP donations last year. However, Gupta joined the BJP, along with six other MPs, in April this year.

Who is Rajinder Gupta?

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party fielded Gupta for the vacant seat in the Upper House in October 2025. The bypoll was held to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of AAP'sSanjeev Arora, who stepped down from theUpper House following his election to the state assembly.

Gupta's declared wealth, as per the election affidavit, is more than the combined wealth of veterans of Punjab politics such as Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bikram Majithia and Captain Amarinder Singh.

Gupta, 66, is among the richest men from Punjab. His net worth in 2025 (Forbes list) is $1.2 billion, which is about ₹10,000 crore.

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Gupta was born in Bathinda to cotton dealer Nohar Chand. Coming from humble beginnings, Gupta made a mark in politics by serving in key government positions in several administrations.

Founder of Trident Limited, which is the flagship company of Trident Group, Gupta is a first-generation entrepreneur. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2007 by the then President APJ Abdul Kalam in recognition of his distinguished services in the field of trade and industry.

In 2022, Gupta stepped down as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Trident Group, citing health reasons, and is currently Chairman Emeritus ofthe group.

Ludhiana-based Trident Group

Ludhiana-based Trident Group is a diversified conglomerate involved in textiles, paper and chemicals with its manufacturing facilities in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

Gupta had earlier held positions in the previous Congress and the SAD-BJP governments as well. Gupta served as vice-chairman of the Punjab State Planning Board between 2012 and 2022 under both the Congress (2012–2017) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP (2017–2022) governments.

AAP donations in 24-25 and 23-24

AAP had disclosed ₹38.10 crore in contributions in 2024-25, more than three times the ₹11.06 crore it reported in 2023-24. Prudent was its largest donor in 2024-25, giving ₹16.40 crore.

The latest filing covers the first full financial year since the AAP lost power to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Delhi in February 2025. The party continues to be in power Punjab, where Trident is based. Assembly Elections are scheduled in Punjab next year.

Gupta's declared wealth is more than the combined wealth of veterans of Punjab politics such as Sukhbir Singh Badal and Captain Amarinder Singh.

Under the election rules in India, parties must identify donors whose contributions exceed ₹20,000 during a financial year. These contribution reports do not show a party's full annual income, which is reported separately in its audited accounts.

(With agency inputs)

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