Key Points

According to a press note issued by the ECI, the latest round of delistings follows a similar action taken on August 9, when 334 RUPPs were removed from the list of registered political parties for failing to contest elections for six consecutive years.

The Commission has also identified 359 more RUPPs from 23 States and Union Territories for not submitting their annual audited accounts for three consecutive financial years, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24. While these parties have contested elections, they failed to file mandatory election expenditure reports within the stipulated time, prompting the ECI to initiate action against them.

"In continuation, in the second phase, ECI delisted 474 RUPPs on September 18, 2025 based on non-contestation in elections conducted by ECI continuously for 6 years. Thus, 808 RUPPs have been delisted in the last 2 months," the press note reads.

"Political Parties (National/State/RUPPs) in the country are registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI) under the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act 1951. Under provisions of the Act, any association once registered as a political party gets certain privileges and advantages, such as a symbol, tax exemptions, among others. 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," the press note reads.

To ensure due process, the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the concerned States and UTs have been directed to issue show-cause notices to these parties. The ECI has said that these parties will be given a chance to explain their position in hearings conducted by the respective CEOs before a final decision is made on their delisting.

"The ECI takes the final decision on the delisting of any RUPP based on the reports of the CEOs," the press note reads.

- ANI