EC to delist 200 parties suspected of being fronts for money laundering

New Delhi: The Election Commission will write to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) informing it about the decision to delist 200-odd political parties, which exist only on paper.

Sources said the Election Commission suspects that most of these political parties could be money-laundering operations.

The Commission has the power to register a political party, but there is no guideline to allow it to de-register any party that has been recognised.

The Election Commission has written to several governments in the past, requesting for power to deregister "non-serious" political parties.

However, nothing has been done in this regard yet.

Under existing law, various political parties are expected to file their Income-Tax returns containing details of donors, who have made contributions above Rs. 20,000.

Most political parties, however, declare most of their funds as having come from unnamed donors donating less than Rs. 20,000 each. The political parties by doing so get away without having to name the source of their donations.