The Election Commission of India has struck 334 unrecognised political parties off its rolls for failing to meet registration norms—citing six years of inactivity since 2019 and the absence of valid headquarters addresses. Among those affected, seven parties hail from Kerala, including the Revolutionary Socialist Party of India (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party of Kerala (Bolshevik), Socialist Republican Party, Secular Republican Democratic Party, Netaji Aadarsh Party, National Democratic Party Secular, and Rashtriya Praja Socialist Party. With this move, the total count of unrecognised registered parties has dropped from 2,854 to 2,520. The country still retains six national parties—BJP, Congress, CPI(M), BSP, AAP, and NPP—and 67 state parties such as Kerala Congress, Kerala Congress (M), IUML, and CPI. The EC confirmed that deregistered parties will lose all political status and associated perks, including income tax exemptions.
