ECI Begins Delisting 345 Dormant Political Parties
No polls contested since 2019; offices untraceable, says Election Commission after nationwide verification
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun proceedings to delist 345 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) that have neither contested a single election since 2019 nor maintained traceable offices.
The 345 parties span multiple states and Union Territories. An ECI spokesperson said that, of more than 2,800 registered RUPPs, many no longer meet the basic conditions required to stay on the rolls: “A nationwide verification found these RUPPs inactive for six years. To ensure due process, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in the respective states and UTs will issue show-cause notices. Each party will then be offered a hearing before a final decision is reached.”
All political parties—national, state or RUPP—register under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a provision that grants privileges such as tax exemptions once registration is complete. The ECI said the clean-up is intended to streamline the political landscape and remove entities that neither contest polls nor maintain statutory compliance. The delisting move follows previous ECI drives against “shell” political outfits and aims to improve transparency ahead of future elections.
