AAP fundraiser a good draw, raises an estimated 3.5 lakh

The Aam Aadmi Party’s fund raising dinner at a bar in Sector 26 on Monday evening drew a much bigger crowd than the organisers had ever expected. Sources said the party estimated to earn over 3.5 lakh. Seeing the brisk response, they had to place more orders nearly a hundred people had arrived till about 9.30 pm.

“We had made arrangements for only 120 dinner guests but people are still coming in, so we’ve now decided to make arrangements for about 150 guests,” said Manish Raizada, adding the idea was to raise funds for the party and also to enable the locals to be familiarised with the party candidate.

“You might have seen such things in the US presidential elections. But to contest elections with legitimate money you need to have these fundraisers,” he added.

The party had decided to charge 3,000 per person for the dinner while the charge for a couple was 5,000. Gul Panag, however, arrived at the fundraiser nearly an hour late and promptly went around greeting the guests and signing autographs. “It’s a great experience — we need to contribute to those who are fighting for our cause,” Aman Bhaika and his wife Arpan Khaika said.

The crowd was mixed with teenagers and the elderly thronging the venue. Sipping soft drinks and gulping down snacks, people were seen discussing how AAP would fare in the city. “I live in Mohali but I’ve come all the way here to support them. We need to support them. I feel AAP is a better party,” said JJ Singh and his wife, Sudeep Bhangoo.