Election Commission delists 474 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties for not contesting any election in 6 years, 359 more identified
In a bid to clean up India’s electoral landscape, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has delisted 474 more Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for failing to contest a single election in the past six years, bringing the total number of such inactive outfits removed from the rolls to 808 in just two months. The move, announced on 19th September, marks the second phase of a nationwide cleanup drive launched earlier this year. It follows the delisting of 334 RUPPs on August 9, underscoring the ECI’s zero-tolerance stance on parties that enjoy privileges like reserved election symbols and tax exemptions but do not contest elections. As part of a comprehensive and continuous strategy to clean up the electoral system, the ECI has been conducting a nationwide exercise to identify and delist Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) which have failed to fulfil the essential condition of contesting even a single election for 6 years continuously, since 2019. Under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, political parties must actively participate in elections to retain their registration. The guidelines explicitly state that any party dormant for six consecutive years risks deregistered. The ECI’s exercise, targeting RUPPs that haven’t contested polls since 2019, aims to streamline the system and weed out “shell” entities that clutter the register of political parties without contributing to democracy. Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of Friday’s purge, with 121 RUPPs delisted, followed by Maharashtra (44) and Tamil Nadu (42). Other states like Delhi (40), Punjab (21), and Rajasthan (17) also saw significant culling. But the ECI isn’t stopping there. In a third phase, proceedings have begun against 359 more RUPPs across 23 states and union territories. These parties, while have contested elections in last 6 years, have flouted financial transparency norms by not submitting audited annual accounts for the financial years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24, or failing to file mandatory election expenditure reports. To ensure due process, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in the states have been instructed to issue show-cause notices to these parties. They will then get a hearing opportunity before the ECI takes a final call based on the CEOs’ reports. Uttar Pradesh again leads with 127 such parties under scrutiny, trailed by Delhi (41), Tamil Nadu (39), and Bihar (30). India currently has 6 National Parties and 67 State Parties, and after today’s decision, there are 2046 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties remaining.
In a bid to clean up India’s electoral landscape, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has delisted 474 more Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for failing to contest a single election in the past six years, bringing the total number of such inactive outfits removed from the rolls to 808 in just two months.
The move, announced on 19th September, marks the second phase of a nationwide cleanup drive launched earlier this year. It follows the delisting of 334 RUPPs on August 9, underscoring the ECI’s zero-tolerance stance on parties that enjoy privileges like reserved election symbols and tax exemptions but do not contest elections.
As part of a comprehensive and continuous strategy to clean up the electoral system, the ECI has been conducting a nationwide exercise to identify and delist Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) which have failed to fulfil the essential condition of contesting even a single election for 6 years continuously, since 2019.
Under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, political parties must actively participate in elections to retain their registration. The guidelines explicitly state that any party dormant for six consecutive years risks deregistered. The ECI’s exercise, targeting RUPPs that haven’t contested polls since 2019, aims to streamline the system and weed out “shell” entities that clutter the register of political parties without contributing to democracy.
Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of Friday’s purge, with 121 RUPPs delisted, followed by Maharashtra (44) and Tamil Nadu (42). Other states like Delhi (40), Punjab (21), and Rajasthan (17) also saw significant culling.
But the ECI isn’t stopping there. In a third phase, proceedings have begun against 359 more RUPPs across 23 states and union territories. These parties, while have contested elections in last 6 years, have flouted financial transparency norms by not submitting audited annual accounts for the financial years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24, or failing to file mandatory election expenditure reports.
To ensure due process, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in the states have been instructed to issue show-cause notices to these parties. They will then get a hearing opportunity before the ECI takes a final call based on the CEOs’ reports. Uttar Pradesh again leads with 127 such parties under scrutiny, trailed by Delhi (41), Tamil Nadu (39), and Bihar (30).
India currently has 6 National Parties and 67 State Parties, and after today’s decision, there are 2046 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties remaining.
