Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jul 3: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched formal proceedings to delist several Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) in Goa that have remained inactive since 2019 and whose offices are no longer traceable. This initiative is part of a broader nationwide effort to clean up electoral rolls and ensure accountability in the political system.

In the first phase of the exercise, four RUPPs from Goa have been flagged: the Goa Nationalist Party (Chinchmala, Sattari), the Goa Praja Party (Ella, Old Goa), Goemcarancho Otrec Asro (Mugally, Sao Jose de Areal), and the United Goans Party (Gramilo Apartment, Dondrem, Taleigao). These parties have neither contested any Lok Sabha nor Assembly elections in the past five years, and attempts to locate their physical offices have failed.

The Department of Information & Publicity said the move is part of a nationwide scrutiny of over 2,800 RUPPs registered with the ECI, many of which are found non-compliant with basic conditions required to maintain their status. So far, 345 such parties have been identified across the country for potential delisting.

Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in each State and Union Territory have been instructed to serve show-cause notices to the flagged parties, giving them a chance to respond before any final action is taken. Hearings will be conducted at the state level, and the ultimate decision on delisting rests with the ECI.

The clean-up is aimed at preventing misuse of party registration, improving transparency, and reinforcing trust in the electoral process.