Just days after being named co-in-charge for the 2027 Gujarat Assembly polls, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak’s residence was searched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday. The raid was linked to alleged breaches of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), following a case registered by the agency on Wednesday.
The AAP has condemned the move, claiming it reflects the ruling BJP’s apprehension about AAP’s growing influence in Gujarat, where the party secured five seats in the 2022 elections.
Former Delhi Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Atishi stated, “As soon as AAP started preparations for the Gujarat elections, the CBI reached the house of Gujarat co-in-charge Durgesh Pathak to conduct a raid. In Gujarat, only AAP can challenge the BJP, and this raid shows their frustration! In all these years, the BJP has not understood that we are not going to be scared of their threats.”
Echoing the sentiment, Manish Sisodia, ex-Deputy CM of Delhi, asserted that the raid was orchestrated out of political fear. “CBI raid at Durgesh Pathak’s @ipathak25 house as soon as he got responsibility for the Gujarat elections 2027! This is not a coincidence. This is a conspiracy born out of fear of the BJP. The BJP knows that only AAP can challenge them in Gujarat now — and this truth has shaken them. The echo of fear is clearly heard in the knock of CBI,” he wrote on social media.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also criticised the move, alleging the BJP was using central agencies to target its political opponents. “The BJP’s dirty game has started again. The CBI has reached the house of Gujarat’s co-in-charge. The Modi government has tried every trick to finish AAP, but still they are not at peace. The BJP’s condition in Gujarat is bad. As soon as Durgesh Pathak was made the co-in-charge of Gujarat, the CBI was sent to threaten him,” he remarked.
Durgesh Pathak is a key figure within AAP, serving on the Political Affairs Committee, AAP’s top decision-making panel, and acting as national executive in-charge, overseeing the party’s organisational development across India. He was instrumental in expanding AAP’s base in both Delhi and Punjab.
His political journey began with the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, where he ran from Karawal Nagar but was defeated by BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht. However, he made a comeback in 2022 by winning the Rajinder Nagar bypoll by over 11,000 votes. In the 2025 general elections, Pathak contested from the same seat but lost to BJP’s Umang Bajaj.
Previously, Pathak was also mentioned in the CBI chargesheet related to the Delhi excise policy case — a probe that led to the arrest of senior party leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. Both leaders were subsequently granted bail.
 leader Durgesh Pathak’s residence was searched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday.){kind=link}