The Election Commission of India (ECI) has cracked down on inactive political parties, delisting 474 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for not contesting any elections in the last six years. This move brings the total number of RUPPs removed from the official list to 808 in just the past two months, as part of ECI’s efforts to clean up the registry of political parties in India.
The latest action happened on September 18, following a similar step on August 9 when ECI removed 334 RUPPs for the same reason—failing to participate in elections for six straight years. According to the ECI’s press note, these parties didn’t meet the basic requirement under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which allows registered parties perks like election symbols and tax benefits but demands they stay active.
But that’s not all. ECI has now flagged 359 more RUPPs across 23 states and Union Territories for skipping mandatory filings. These parties did contest elections but ignored rules by not submitting their annual audited accounts for three years in a row (2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24) or filing timely election expenditure reports. ECI is starting the process to address this too.
To keep things fair, ECI has instructed Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in the relevant states and UTs to send show-cause notices to these parties. They’ll get a hearing to explain themselves before CEOs, and ECI will make the final call on delisting based on those reports. This ensures every political party in India follows the rules and stays accountable.
Overall, these steps by ECI aim to streamline the list of registered political parties, making sure only active ones enjoy the benefits. It’s a big push for transparency in India’s election system.
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