EC cracks whip on 339 unrecognised parties

Election Commission (EC) cracked the whip on 339 regional unrecognised political parties (RUPP) for noncompliance taking the tally of defaulting RUPPs to 537 since May 25, 2022. While the EC declared 253 RUPPs inactive and barred them from availing benefits an additional 86 non-existent parties were deleted from the EC list.

Five of the inactive unrecognised political parties from Maharashtra were identified as Rashtriya Aman Sena at Govandi, Rashtriya Lokshahi Party in Karjat, Republican Party of India (Kamble) in Navi Mumbai, Shivaji Congress Party in Malegaon and The Humanist Party of India in Santacruz.

Another six nonexisting six political parties in Maharashtra including Kisan Garib Nagrik Party based in Jogeshwari, Krantisena Maharashtra in Mahim, Rashtriya Sarvasamaj Party in Malad, Republican Presidium Party of India in Pune, Uttrakhand Sena Party in Thane and Satyavadi Paksh in Aurangabad were amongst the six regional parties in Maharashtra.

Last Thursday the Income

Tax (I-T) department had raided Janatavadi Congress Party operating from a slum in Sion and War Veteran Party from a small flat in Borivali for hawala transactions of over Rs 150 crore in two years. Both the parties had collected donations of Rs 150 crore in the last two years to help hawala operators to evade tax and then returned the donation in cash for a nominal commission.

The raids in Mumbai were part of a coordinated simultaneous pan India multiple raids by the I-T sleuths probing tax evasion against registered unrecognised political

parties and their alleged dubious financial transactions.

I-T sleuths recorded the statements of Janatavadi Congress Party president Santosh Maruti Katke and War Veterans Party president former Indian Navy captain Lawrence Naithanil.

While Katke alleged that the I-T raid was a conspiracy and said a game is being played against him, Captain Naithanil claimed he had shifted to Goa and the Borivali flat was given out on rent. The raiding I-T team questioned the political party presidents on the election

contested so far by their parties and the expenses incurred. The taxmen also asked for income tax papers related to the political party and records related to donations and bills.

“253 RUPPs have been declared inactive as they have not responded to the letter or notices issued to them and have not contested a single election either to the general assembly of a state or the parliamentary elections of 2014 and 2019. Similarly, 86 RUPPs have been found to be non-existent after a physical verification carried out by the respective chief electoral officers