Political party's 'office' turns out dance studio: Rs 207 crore donation under lens

The ground check raises questions over how a residential property housing a dance academy was listed as the party's registered office.

In Short

• Property owner says party office never operated at listed address
• Party reportedly received Rs 207 crore donations between 2019, 2024
• Questions grow over party address, donors and use of funds

A building in South Delhi’s Vishwakarma Colony listed as the registered office of the Rashtriya Vikas Party in an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) report has turned out to be a dance academy, raising questions over the party’s declared address and the source and use of the huge donations it reportedly received over the years, IndiaToday has found.

Following the release of the ADR report, an India Today/Aaj Tak team conducted a ground verification of the address mentioned for the Rashtriya Vikas Party.

The report identified the party’s registered address as E-86/A in Vishwakarma Colony. However, when the team reached the location, there was no sign of a political party office. Instead, the premises were being used by a dance academy by the name "The Fire Studio".

The discrepancy became apparent when the IndiaToday correspondent entered the building and spoke to the person present there.

The owner, Shailav Agarwal, initially appeared reluctant to respond to questions but later said that he had been residing at the property for around 15 years.

Agarwal said several tenants had occupied the premises over the years, but maintained that no office of the Rashtriya Vikas Party had ever operated from the address.

He also indicated that there was no other property registered at the same address, adding to the questions surrounding the address cited in the ADR report.

The India Today/Aaj Tak team subsequently spoke to residents in the neighbourhood to verify whether a political office had ever functioned there.

Locals also said they were unaware of any RVP office at the location. Their accounts appeared to corroborate the absence of any visible political establishment at the address.

SO WHAT IS FISHY ABOUT IT?

The issue assumes greater significance in light of the financial figures highlighted in the ADR report.

According to the report, the Rashtriya Vikas Party received donations of around Rs 207 crore between 2019 and 2024.

The scale of the reported contributions has prompted questions about the party’s donors, its financial operations and the manner in which the funds were utilised.

The ground verification has now added another layer to those questions. If the address officially declared for a political party leads instead to a residential property housing a dance academy, questions naturally arise over how the address came to be listed as the party’s registered office and whether the relevant records accurately reflect the party’s actual operations.

The findings do not by themselves establish financial wrongdoing, but the apparent mismatch between the address recorded in the ADR report and the reality on the ground warrants clarification from the Rashtriya Vikas Party and the concerned authorities.

The party’s response, along with any verification of its registration and financial records, is likely to determine what happens next.

- Ends