The Election Commission (EC) has delisted 474 registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs) for not contesting elections in the last six years. This comes after 334 parties were removed in August, bringing the total to 808 delistings in just two months.
EC officials said that under current rules, any party that fails to contest polls continuously for six years is struck off the list. Until recently, there were 2,520 RUPPs. After this exercise, only 2,046 remain.
The commission also identified 359 more parties for not submitting audited accounts for three financial years — 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24. These parties are from 23 states and union territories.
Of the 808 parties removed since August, 14 were from Bihar, which heads to assembly polls in November. Officials said the clean-up aims to remove defunct and inactive political outfits.
The EC has taken similar action three to four times since 2001. Some of the delisted parties were earlier flagged for violations of tax and money-laundering laws.
This exercise, the EC said, strengthens the political system by ensuring only active and accountable parties remain registered.
