ECI steps up electoral clean-up: 474 RUPPs delisted, 359 face action

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its nationwide drive to streamline the electoral system by delisting another 474 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) that failed to meet statutory conditions. The Commission has also initiated proceedings to delist 359 more parties across 23 States and Union Territories.

The exercise, part of a comprehensive clean-up strategy, is grounded in the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Section 29A of the Act grants registered political parties key privileges such as election symbols and tax exemptions. However, guidelines stipulate that any party failing to contest elections continuously for six years must be removed from the rolls.

In the first phase of the exercise on 9 August 2025, the ECI delisted 334 RUPPs. The second phase, carried out on 18 September 2025, saw the removal of 474 more parties that had not contested a single election over the past six years. With this, a total of 808 RUPPs have been struck off the register in just two months.

Beyond this, the Commission has identified 359 RUPPs for non-compliance with financial reporting requirements. These parties contested elections but failed to submit their Annual Audited Accounts for 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24, as well as Election Expenditure Reports. The Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the respective States and UTs have been directed to issue show-cause notices, after which hearings will be conducted before a final decision is taken.

The ECI reaffirmed that no party would be delisted without due process and that final action would be taken only after considering reports from the CEOs.

State-wise distribution of RUPPs delisted in second phase

Annexure – B

State-wise distribution of RUPPs identified for third phase of delisting

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