EC declares 253 Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs) as inactive

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has delisted 86 non-existent Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs) and declared additional 253 as ‘Inactive RUPPs’. This action against 339 non-compliant RUPPs takes the tally to 537 defaulting RUPPs since May 25, 2022.

Key highlights

• As per statutory requirements under section 29A of the RP Act, every political party has to communicate any change in its name, head office, office bearers, address, PAN to the Commission without delay.

• 86 RUPPs have been found to be non-existent either after a physical verification carried out by the respective Chief Electoral Officers of concerned States/UTs.

• The above 253 parties, 66 RUPPs actually applied for a common symbol as per para 10B of the Symbol’s Order 1968 and did not contest the respective elections.

• The privilege of a common symbol is given to RUPP based upon an undertaking for putting up at least 5 percent of total candidates with regard to said legislative assembly election of a State.

• Possibility of such parties occupying the available pre-election political space by taking benefits of admissible entitlements without contesting elections cannot be ruled out.

• This also tends to crowd out the political parties actually contesting elections and also creating confusing situation for the voters.

• A political party must contest an election conducted by the Election Commission within five years of its registration and thereafter should continue to contest. It means, if the Party does not contest elections continuously for six years, the Party shall be taken off the list of registered parties.

• It is to be noted that the EC does not have power to deregister a political party, except on three grounds, which were outlined by the Supreme Court in case of Indian National Congress Vs Institute of Social Welfare and others (2002).

• As per three grounds, 1. parties can be de-registered only if they had registered through fraud or forgery or 2. if they were declared illegal by the Centre or 3. if they had stopped abiding by the Indian Constitution.