Election Commission of India Delists 86 Political Parties Over Law Violations

Over the past 20 years, the number of registered political parties in India has increased by roughly 300 percent, reaching 2,800 in 2022. The Election Commission of India notes that about 2,100 of them were flouting election laws about funding.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made swingeing cuts against political parties that weren't complying with the law, as it delisted on Tuesday 86 registered political parties (RUPPs) and declared 253 more "inactive".

After the ECI recommended that the parties be shut down, the Income Tax department raided a number of states, including Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and party offices over allegations of problems with funding.

The ECI said 86 RUPPs were found to be "non-existent either after a physical verification carried out by the respective Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the state/union territory concerned, or based on a report of undelivered post sent to the registered address of the RUPP in question".

Similarly, 253 parties have been declared inactive, as they did not respond to their post and have not contested a single election since 2014.

The 253 parties may secure their registration to become an RUPP, the ECI said, if they "approach the concerned CEO/Election Commission within 30 days of the issue of this direction along with all evidence of existence," and other papers.

Political parties in India need to have an office, office bearers, a unique party symbol and constitution, and need to share records of their funds and expenditure with the ECI each year, unless there is an election in their state in which case accounts of expenditure at the time of election needs to be shared within 90 days.