ECI to Delist 345 Dormant Political Parties

In a major step to boost transparency and integrity in India’s democratic process, the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, has launched a nationwide drive to delist inactive political parties. As part of this clean-up, 345 Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs) that haven’t contested any election since 2019 now face de-listing.

This decisive action comes after it was found that many of these RUPPs, despite being registered with the Commission, do not fulfill the essential criteria required to retain their registration status. Most notably, the offices of these 345 RUPPs could not be physically located during verification, indicating their operational inactivity and possibly non-existent status.

India currently has over 2,800 RUPPs registered with the ECI under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This registration provides parties with significant privileges such as tax exemptions and electoral recognition. However, continued registration is contingent upon periodic fulfillment of certain basic conditions—most importantly, participation in elections.

The Commission’s drive began with a thorough verification exercise across all States and Union Territories, resulting in the identification of the 345 non-compliant parties. These parties have neither contested elections to the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, nor participated in any bye-elections since 2019. Furthermore, the Commission could not physically trace the offices of these entities at the locations registered with the ECI.

To ensure fairness in the process, the Commission has directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of respective States and UTs to issue show-cause notices to the identified parties. Each RUPP will be given a chance to respond and, if necessary, present its case in a hearing before the CEO. Only after this due process will the ECI take a final call on delisting any party.

This initiative is being hailed as a long-overdue step to cleanse the political ecosystem and prevent misuse of the privileges granted to registered political entities. The presence of non-functional or shell parties not only burdens the system but also raises concerns over their potential misuse for money laundering or other unethical activities.

The Election Commission has clarified that this is only the first phase of a broader campaign to rationalize and regulate the growing list of registered parties. More such reviews are expected in the future as part of ECI’s commitment to uphold democratic norms and ensure that only genuine political contenders benefit from the privileges accorded under the law.

By removing parties that neither take part in elections nor have a verifiable presence, the ECI is reinforcing its commitment to uphold electoral integrity. This move is a major step toward keeping India’s political landscape transparent, active, and truly representative of meaningful political engagement.