Armed with fresh intelligence, IT teams backed by police security stormed over 24 premises across the state, including three key locations in Gandhinagar.

The Income Tax Department has launched a sweeping crackdown across Gujarat, targeting little-known political parties involved in laundering black money through fake donations.

Raids spanning over 24 locations, including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Junagadh, have focused on Bharatiya National Janata Dal chief Sanjay Vitthalbhai Gajera, with investigators tracing a trail of suspicious transactions worth crores.

The department on Wednesday carried out a state-wide operation in Gujarat, cracking down on tax evasion camouflaged as political donations. What began months ago with raids on donors has now pivoted sharply towards the recipients of those questionable funds.

Armed with fresh intelligence, IT teams backed by police security stormed over 24 premises across the state, including three key locations in Gandhinagar.

The most prominent among them, the residence and offices of Bharatiya National Janata Dal chief Sanjay Vitthalbhai Gajera, became the epicentre of the day-long action.

Early on Wednesday morning, IT officials accompanied by armed police arrived at Gajera’s Sector-26 Kisannagar home, his office in Gandhinagar, and his driver Ronak Singh’s residence.

Documents, movable and immovable assets, and even mobile phone data were seized as investigators dug into what they suspect is a massive political donation-for-cash laundering network.

Officials said raids were simultaneously conducted in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, and Junagadh, pointing to a well-spread nexus of small political parties acting as conduits for tax evasion.

“The same parties which claimed donations worth hundreds of crores, yet secured barely a few thousand votes in elections, are now under our radar,” an official remarked.

According to sources, the modus operandi was deceptively simple, donations were shown as cheque payments to political outfits, which then returned a major portion in cash after deducting a commission.

This operation, insiders say, could expose crores worth of unaccounted political funding flowing through Gujarat.

Sanjay Gajera’s case stands out. The Bharatiya National Janata Dal, founded by his late father Vitthal Gajera, contested both the 2022 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, managing just 11,496 votes across eight candidates, yet reported an astonishing income of Rs 957 crore in donations.

Despite its limited electoral footprint, the party flaunted luxury vehicles including an MG Gloster SUV and a Harley-Davidson bike, which are now under scrutiny for disproportionate assets.

According to an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report, Gujarat is home to 95 registered but unrecognised political parties, 36 of which have submitted reports to the Election Commission.

Shockingly, five such parties from Gujarat alone amassed ₹2,316 crore between 2019-20 and 2023-24, accounting for 70 per cent of the national income of similar parties. Of these, Gajera’s party topped the list with ₹957 crore, despite its negligible electoral presence.

The ongoing raids have sent tremors through Gujarat’s political corridors. While no official statement has been released by the Income Tax Department yet, sources confirm that massive financial irregularities and possible violations of electoral funding norms are being probed.

As the investigation deepens, Gujarat’s “micro parties”, once dismissed as fringe entities, have suddenly found themselves at the centre of one of the state’s largest alleged political finance crackdowns.