EC delists 474 registered unrecognised parties over poll no-show, Pg 8.

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission (EC) delisted 474 more registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs) on September 18 for not contesting elections for 6 years.
• This action follows the delisting of 334 RUPPs on August 9, bringing the total to 808 RUPPs removed in the last two months.
• After the de-listing, 2,046 RUPPs remain, along with 6 recognized national parties and 67 state parties.
• 359 RUPPs have been identified for not submitting annual audited accounts for the last three financial years.

Detailed Insights:

• The Election Commission's guidelines stipulate that a party can be removed from the list of registered parties if it does not contest elections for six consecutive years.
• Among the 808 RUPPs delisted, 14 are from Bihar, where Assembly elections are scheduled for November.
• The EC has been conducting exercises to remove defunct RUPPs since 2001, doing so approximately "three to four" times.
• The EC's action aims to ensure that political parties adhere to electoral regulations and maintain transparency in financial reporting.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Registered Unrecognised Political Party (RUPP): A political party that is registered with the Election Commission but does not meet the criteria for recognition as a state or national party.
• Election Commission of India (ECI): An autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India at the national and state level.
• Delisting: The process of removing a registered political party from the official list maintained by the Election Commission due to non-compliance with regulations.