CBI searches at ex-MLA Durgesh Pathak's residence; AAP claims BJP scared of party growth in Gujarat
New Delhi: The AAP on Thursday slammed the CBI searches at the residence of its senior leader Durgesh Pathak as a "politically motivated" move aimed at derailing the party's preparations for the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections. Pathak is the party's co-incharge for Gujarat. Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, "The BJP's attempts to finish off the AAP have begun once again. They have jailed our leader, arrested our top leadership, and now our PAC member and Gujarat co-incharge Durgesh Pathak has been raided by the CBI. The only reason is that AAP is gaining ground in Gujarat." Singh claimed that as soon as Pathak began holding meetings in Gujarat to strengthen the party's base, the BJP responded by sending the central agency after him. There was no immediate response available from the BJP to the AAP's allegations. The CBI is carrying searches at the premises of Pathak in connection with alleged violations of foreign funds norms, officials said. The agency has registered a case against him for alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, they said.
Echoing similar sentiments, senior AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on X, "CBI raid at Durgesh Pathak's house as soon as he got responsibility for Gujarat elections 2027! This is not a coincidence, this is a conspiracy born out of fear." Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi also condemned the raid. "As soon as AAP started preparations for Gujarat elections, CBI reached the house of Gujarat co-incharge Durgesh Pathak. This shows BJP's frustration," she posted on X. Pathak, who won the Rajinder Nagar Assembly seat in 2022, lost to BJP's Umang Bajaj in the 2025 elections. He was also AAP's in-charge for Goa during the 2022 Assembly elections. The AAP had secured five seats and a 14 per cent vote share in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls, and has since been looking to expand its footprint in the state.
