Context:
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a significant exercise to clean up the political landscape by delisting 345 Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs). This step comes after these parties failed to comply with basic requirements, including participation in elections and maintaining verifiable contact details.
About Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs):
Registered Unrecognized Political Parties are associations or bodies registered with the ECI under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. While they are not recognized as national or state parties, they still enjoy certain benefits. These include:
- Access to electoral rolls
- Entitlement to tax exemptions on contributions
- Other privileges intended to encourage genuine political participation
Currently, there are over 2,800 RUPPs across India. However, over the years, many of these entities have been found inactive or untraceable, raising concerns about their misuse and relevance.
Key Highlights of the Delisting Exercise:
1. Nationwide Scrutiny of RUPPs: The ECI undertook a comprehensive assessment to identify parties that have failed to meet the basic criterion of contesting elections. To qualify as active, a RUPP must participate in at least one election to the Lok Sabha or the State Legislative Assembly or in by-elections.
2. Criteria for Delisting: The 345 parties shortlisted for possible delisting met two conditions:
· They have not contested any election since 2019 (a period of over six years).
· Their offices could not be physically located at the addresses provided during registration.
3. State-wise Identification: These inactive or untraceable RUPPs belong to different States and Union Territories across the country, indicating that the problem is widespread rather than limited to any one region.
4. Due Process and Safeguards: To ensure that no genuine political party is unfairly delisted, the ECI has issued instructions to all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in States and UTs to serve show-cause notices to the concerned parties. Each party will be given an opportunity to respond and present their case in a hearing before the final decision is made.
5. Objective of the Exercise: The move aims to improve transparency and accountability in the political system. The ECI has stated that this is only the first phase of the clean-up process, with further scrutiny of remaining RUPPs planned in the coming months.
Significance:
- It prevents misuse of party registration for purposes like money laundering and tax evasion.
- It helps maintain the integrity of electoral rolls and records.
- It ensures that privileges and public resources are used only by parties genuinely committed to electoral participation.
Conclusion:
Under the Representation of the People Act, once an association is registered as a political party, it gains certain advantages. However, these privileges must be accompanied by accountability. In the past, reports have indicated that some RUPPs have acted merely as conduits for questionable financial transactions.
This step by the ECI demonstrates its commitment to upholding clean electoral processes and weeding out non-serious entities from the country’s political ecosystem. By continuing this exercise, the Commission aims to strengthen democratic institutions and public trust.
