CHENNAI: Election Commission of India (ECI), through District Electoral Officers (DEOs), will issue notices to 24 registered, unrecognised political parties in Tamil Nadu to show cause why their names should not be delisted since they have not contested in any election for the past six years.
When contacted, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said the DEOs have been directed to issue show cause notices to these parties soon. The 24 unrecognised parties include Makkal Neethi Katchi, Tamil Nadu Peasants and Workers Party, and Tamilaga Sthabana Congress.
Of the 24 parties, 14 have their ‘headquarters in Chennai and among the 14, two parties – All India Women Democratic Freedom Party and Mahabharat Mahajan Sabha – have their office in Kolathur, the Assembly constituency of Chief Minister M K Stalin.
Interestingly, the names of two of these parties are: Appamma Makkal Kazhagam (Father-Mother People Kazhagam!) and Anna MGR Jayalalithaa Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which has the names of three past CMs of Tamil Nadu and the names of two Dravidian majors.
The ECI on June 26 began proceedings to delist as many as 345 registered, unrecognised political parties which have not contested a single election since 2019. Of the 345 parties, 24 are from Tamil Nadu.
The ECI, in its communication to the CEO, pointed out that parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, are entitled to many benefits – exemption from income tax (Under Section 13A of I-T Act), recognition, common symbol allotment, reserved symbol for parties recognised under Symbols Order and the nomination of star campaigners.
The Commission said the reason an association registers as a political party under Section 29A is that it can take part in elections held by the ECI. “Over time, a large number of political parties have been registered. However, it has come to the notice that many of the Registered Unrecognised Political Parties have not contested even a single election for the last six years since 2019, and many of them have ceased to exist.”