Lucknow, Nov. 1 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI), in an affidavit filed with the Allahabad high court, has said that it cannot deregister political parties on the grounds of holding caste-based rallies as there is no such provision in the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The 1951 Act empowers ECI to register political parties under section 29A, it said in the affidavit submitted before the Lucknow bench of the high court on Thursday, in a PIL filed by advocate Moti Lal Yadav seeking a ban on caste-based rallies and action against political parties In its reply, ECI stated that it has no jurisdiction to restrict political parties from convening meetings and rallies on caste lines during the non-election period and to ban them...