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In a statement, the poll body said these 334 registered unrecognised political parties from different states and Union Territories failed to comply with required norms.
Election Commission of India (PTI Image)
The Election Commission on Saturday delisted 334 registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs), which have failed to fulfil the essential condition of contesting even a single election for six years since 2019.
In a statement, the poll body said these 334 registered unrecognised political parties are from different states and Union Territories across the country. “Guidelines for registration of Political Parties mention that if the party does not contest elections continuously for 6 years, the party shall be taken off the list of registered parties.”
“Earlier, in June 2025, ECI had directed the CEOs of States & UTs to conduct verification enquiries of 345 RUPPs regarding compliance with the above conditions. CEOs conducted enquiries, issued show-cause notices to these RUPPs and provided each party an opportunity to respond and present their case through personal hearings,” it further said.
However, the Election Commission found 334 RUPPs not complying with the conditions, and their address could not be located. “The Commission, after considering all the facts and recommendations of the CEOs, has delisted 334 RUPPs. Now, out of the total of 2854 RUPPs, 2520 are remaining,” it said.
This delisting exercise is part of a comprehensive and continuous strategy of the Election Commission to clean up the electoral system. There are 6 National Parties and 67 State Parties in India as of now.
Since 2001, the EC has weeded out defunct RUPPs “three to four” times, officials said. The Supreme Court had earlier barred the poll panel from “derecognising” political parties, noting that it was not prescribed under law.
However, the EC has found a way to “delist parties”. Those delisted can be listed again by the poll authority without getting into the process of giving them fresh recognition, a former EC functionary pointed out.
The latest move comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. Parties delisted cannot field their candidates to contest elections.
(with PTI inputs)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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