EC picks 476 more parties for delisting

Days after delisting 334 registered unrecognised political parties, the Election Commission on Monday has identified another 476 such parties from various states, which are likely to face similar action and have been issued show-cause notices.

In a statement, the poll body said to ensure that no party was unduly delisted, the CEOs of the respective states would issue show-cause notices to them following which they would be given an opportunity through a hearing.

Further, based on the reports of the CEOs, the final decision regarding delisting of any unrecognised party shall be taken by the Election Commission, the statement said.

In the first round of this exercise, the poll body on August 9 had delisted 334 registered unrecognised political parties, thus bringing down the number of listed parties from 2,854 to 2,520.

Uttar Pradesh leads the list of 476 such parties identified by the Election Commission for delisting in the second round. The state has 121 such parties, followed by 44 in Maharashtra, 42 in Tamil Nadu and 41 in Delhi.