In a move aimed at cleaning up the political system, the Election Commission has deregistered 334 Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs). The parties were removed from the rolls on August 9th due to their failure to participate in any elections since 2019. The ECI’s decision comes after an assessment revealed that these parties, despite enjoying benefits like tax exemptions, had not contested any Lok Sabha, state assembly, or by-elections during the specified period.
Political parties are registered with the ECI under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This registration allows them to receive various benefits. The ECI initiated this process to remove inactive parties and maintain the integrity of the electoral process. A nationwide exercise was conducted to identify RUPPs that had not met the requirements for continued registration, leading to the identification of 345 such parties.