The Election Commission has taken decisive action against political parties deemed inactive. The commission removed 474 unregistered political parties (RUPPs) from its list for not contesting elections or adhering to regulations over the past six years. This action follows the removal of 334 parties on August 9th, bringing the total to 808 parties delisted in the last two months. The Election Commission stated that this move aims to make the electoral system cleaner and more transparent.
The Election Commission clarified that it was necessary to remove parties that had not contested any elections for six consecutive years. Based on this, 474 parties were delisted on September 18th. Before this, on August 9th, 334 parties were removed. Now, a total of 808 parties have been removed. Previously, there were 2,520 unrecognized parties across the country, which has now reduced to 2,046. In addition, there are 6 national and 67 state-level recognized parties in the country.
This action by the Election Commission comes at a time when the Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for November. Among the delisted parties, 14 are from Bihar. This means these parties will no longer be able to field their candidates in the elections. Officials said that many parties were neither contesting elections nor submitting reports of their annual accounts and expenses. During 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24, 359 parties were found that did not submit audited accounts and election expense reports.
Previously, several parties were found violating income tax and money laundering laws. The Election Commission believes that removing such inactive or suspicious parties is necessary to make the system clean and transparent. Under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, registered parties are entitled to facilities like tax exemptions. Therefore, removing parties that are not active will improve the system. However, delisted parties can re-register later.