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Key Points

The Election Commission has intensified its cleanup drive by removing 474 political parties that failed to contest elections for six consecutive years. This brings the total number of delisted parties to 808 since August 2025. Additionally, the ECI has initiated action against 359 other parties for not submitting financial documents and expenditure reports. The Commission has directed state officials to issue show-cause notices and conduct hearings before making final decisions.

Key Points: ECI Delists 474 Political Parties for Not Contesting Elections

  • ECI removes 474 parties for not contesting elections for six years
  • Uttar Pradesh leads with 121 delisted parties followed by Maharashtra
  • Commission targets 359 parties for financial reporting violations
  • Show-cause notices issued with hearing opportunities before final delisting
2 min read

ECI delists 474 more political parties, initiates action against 359 others for violating norms

Election Commission removes 474 non-performing political parties, bringing total delisted to 808. Action initiated against 359 more for financial non-compliance.

"In the second phase, ECI delisted 474 RUPPs on September 18, 2025, based on non-contestation in elections continuously for 6 years - Election Commission of India"

New Delhi, Sep 19

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its ongoing drive to clean up the electoral system by delisting another 474 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for failing to contest elections continuously for six years.

The Commission, in a press note issued on Friday, said that with this second phase of action, a total of 808 RUPPs have been removed from the list since August 2025.

Earlier, on August 9, 334 RUPPs were delisted in the first phase of the exercise.

“In the first phase of this exercise, ECI had delisted 334 RUPPs on August 9, 2025. 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,” said the ECI in its press statement.

Under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, political parties are granted privileges such as election symbols and tax exemptions upon registration.

However, guidelines stipulate that if a party fails to contest any election for six consecutive years, it must be removed from the register.

The latest round of delisting, conducted on September 18, saw the maximum number of RUPPs axed from Uttar Pradesh (121), followed by Maharashtra (44), Tamil Nadu (42), and Delhi (40). States such as Punjab (21), Madhya Pradesh (23), Bihar (15), and Andhra Pradesh (17) also featured prominently in the list, amongst others.

In addition, the ECI has initiated proceedings against 359 other RUPPs that have failed to submit their annual audited accounts for three consecutive financial years (2021-22 to 2023-24) and have also not filed mandatory election expenditure reports despite contesting polls.

These parties span 23 states and Union Territories, with Uttar Pradesh (127), Tamil Nadu (39), and Delhi (41) accounting for the bulk of non-compliant organisations.

The Commission has directed Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in the respective states and UTs to issue show-cause notices to the identified parties. Hearings will be conducted before any final decision on delisting is made.

“In order to ensure that no party is unduly delisted, the CEOs of the respective States/UTs have been directed to issue show-cause notices to these RUPPs, following which, the parties will be given an opportunity through a hearing by the concerned CEOs,” it said.

“The ECI takes the final decision on delisting of any RUPP based on the reports of the CEOs,” the Commission clarified.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good move by Election Commission. But I hope they also look into the funding sources of these parties. Many might be shell companies for money laundering through political donations.
M
Michael C
As someone who follows Indian politics closely, this is a significant step toward electoral integrity. The sheer number - 808 parties delisted in two months - shows how rampant the problem was.
S
Sneha F
UP having 121 delisted parties and 127 non-compliant ones says a lot about the political culture in that state. Hope this cleanup brings more transparency to our electoral process.
A
Aditya G
While I appreciate the cleanup, I hope genuine small parties with honest intentions aren't caught in this dragnet. The hearing process before final delisting is a good safeguard.
K
Kavya N
This is why we need stronger electoral reforms. Parties that don't contest elections for 6 years and don't file accounts shouldn't exist in the first place. Better late than never though! 🙏

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