On Wednesday, 28 October, a man named Gaurav Kumar was protesting outside 10 Janpath, the residence of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. According to Gaurav’s statement, he had paid Rs 7 crore to party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to secure a Lok Sabha ticket for his wife. He also threatened to set himself on fire during the demonstration. Gaurav Kumar is the husband of a former Haryana Mahila Congress general secretary.
Delhi: Gaurav Kumar, husband of Former Haryana Mahila Congress general secretary is staging a protest outside 10 Janpath. He claims that he paid 7 crore rupees to Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for a Lok Sabha ticket for his wife. According to him, after failing to secure the ticket, he is demanding a full refund of his money. During the protest, he threatened to set himself on fire
— IANS (@ians_india) October 28, 2026
Gaurav Kumar is the husband of a former Haryana Mahila Congress general secretary. He claimed to have paid Rs 7 crore to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to ensure his wife received a party ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections. When the ticket did not materialise, Kumar demanded a full refund of the amount.
During the protest outside 10 Janpath, Kumar escalated his demonstration by threatening to commit self-immolation, underscoring the intensity of his grievance. The Delhi Police have since been drawn into the matter, with reports indicating that a complaint has been filed.
BJP attacks Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over Rs 7 crore bribe-for-ticket allegations by former Haryana Mahila Congress leader’s husband
The incident first gained widespread attention after BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari cited Kumar at a press conference which was done in BJP headquarters on 3 March 2026. He said the Congress was involved in a “cash-for-ticket” scam.
THE CORRUPT SYNDICATE OF GANDHI VADRA FAMILY IS EXPOSED : Gaurav Kumar, husband of the Haryana Mahila Congress General Secretary, has made explosive allegations regarding a cash-for-ticket deal for the Bawal Assembly seat in Haryana. • He claims ₹7 crore was taken from him in exchange for the promise of a Congress ticket. • According to Gaurav Kumar: •₹1.6 crore was given to Kodikunnil Suresh (MP). •Money was paid to Anas, PA to Congress Organizational General Secretary K.C. Venugopal. •Payments were allegedly made into their Parliamentary salary accounts. •Even after 1.5 years, the money has not been returned. Gaurav Kumar further alleges: •₹35 lakh was taken by Sadaap Khan, PA to Priyanka Gandhi. •When he sought a refund, Priyanka Gandhi allegedly behaved rudely. •Money was handed over at 10 Janpath to Priyanka Gandhi’s PA and also to Sonia Gandhi’s PA Mahesh. • He claims the total amount paid reached ₹7 crore, including multiple installments and additional expenses. • He has also alleged that large sums — ₹100 crore, ₹200 crore, ₹50 crore — were collected from Southern contractors in similar fashion, as per what he says was told by Priyanka Gandhi’s PS. • K.C. Venugopal’s office allegedly told him the matter would be “discussed” and that he would be accommodated with some post. Gaurav Kumar says he refused any post and only wanted his money back. • He states that after not receiving the promised ticket or refund, he decided to go public. • Congress leaders including K.C. Venugopal and Kodikunnil Suresh have not responded to these allegations so far. ITS CLEAR ELECTIONS ARE FOUGHT BY CONGRESS TO FUND LIFESTYLE OF SONIA, RAHUL & PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA VIA CORRUPTION AND CUT MONEY IN TICKET! #CorruptCongress #CompromisedCongress
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) March 3, 2026
While speaking to the press, Bhandari said, “For the past few days, the country has been discussing how the Gandhi-Vadra family is compromised and corrupt. According to Bhandari, the money was routed through personal assistants of senior Congress leaders, including those associated with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
He further said that WhatsApp chats provided “prima facie proof” of corruption. Bhandari further said that the Gandhi family used senior leader K.C. Venugopal as a “front” to extort money from the couple in exchange for a ticket from the Bawal assembly constituency.
“At a press conference, he (Gaurav Kumar) made public WhatsApp chats with the PAs (personal assistants) of Priyanka Vadra, KC Venugopal and K. Suresh, exposing how the Gandhi family used Venugopal as a front to extort money from the former general secretary of Haryana Women Congress,” Bhandari said.

