Election Commission Removes 334 Unrecognized Political Parties from Registration List

Additionally, the offices of these parties could not be located.

Following the ECI's decision, there are now only six national parties, 67 state parties, and 2,520 registered unrecognized political parties remaining.

The ECI stated that these 334 RUPPs were from various states and Union Territories across the country. After this exercise, out of a total of 2,854 registered unrecognized political parties, only 2,520 remain.

Currently, there are six national parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and National People's Party (NPP).

Additionally, 67 major parties, such as the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, and Rashtriya Janata Dal, are registered as state-level parties in the ECI's list.

In a press release, the ECI stated that the political parties removed from the list will not be eligible for any benefits under the provisions of Section 29B and Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, as well as the relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

However, the ECI has given these delisted parties 30 days to appeal the decision.

As part of this process, officials investigated these parties, issued show-cause notices, and provided them an opportunity to present their case through personal hearings. Based on the officials' reports, 334 out of the 345 parties failed to comply with the conditions. After considering all facts and the officials' recommendations, the ECI removed these 334 unrecognized political parties from the list.

The ECI clarified that out of the total 2,854 registered unrecognized political parties, 2,520 now remain. The press release further stated, "The registration of national, state, and unrecognized political parties is done under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

According to the rules for political party registration, if a party does not contest elections for six consecutive years, its name is removed from the registration list. Additionally, under Section 29A, political parties are required to provide details such as their name, address, and list of office-bearers at the time of registration, and they must promptly inform the Commission of any changes to this information.

"Officials noted that since 2001, the ECI has removed inactive RUPPs three to four times. The Supreme Court had previously restrained the ECI from cancelling the recognition of political parties, stating that it was not prescribed under the law. However, the ECI devised a method to delist such parties.

 A former ECI official mentioned that delisted parties can be re-registered without undergoing a new recognition process. In the past, some RUPPs were found to have violated income tax laws and anti-money laundering regulations.