New Delhi, June 26 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated proceedings to delist 345 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) that have remained completely inactive for the past six years, marking the beginning of a comprehensive cleanup of the country's political system.

The decision was announced by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, targeting parties that have failed to contest even a single election since 2019 and whose offices could not be physically located.

Of the over 2,800 RUPPs currently registered with the ECI, many have failed to fulfil essential conditions required to maintain their status as registered political parties...