New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has deregistered 334 political parties that have not contested any election in the last six years. This list includes 22 parties from Tamil Nadu.
Political parties in India are registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which allows them to avail benefits such as tax exemptions. However, parties that are registered but unrecognized must contest at least one election — Lok Sabha, State Assembly, or by-election — within six years to retain their registration.
Upon review, the Election Commission found that 345 such parties had not contested any election since 2019. Many of them were also found inactive at their registered addresses.
After issuing notices and conducting inquiries, the Commission decided to remove 334 parties from its register for failing to meet the required criteria.
The deregistered list includes Tamil Nadu-based parties such as ‘Anna – MGR’, ‘Jayalalithaa Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’, ‘Appa – Amma Makkal Kazhagam’, and ‘India Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam’.
With this move, the number of unrecognized political parties has dropped from 2,854 to 2,520. Currently, six national parties and 67 state parties remain on the official list of recognized political parties.
