India, Sept. 20 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a significant step towards cleaning up the electoral system by delisting 474 Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for flouting norms, including not contesting elections in the last six years for failing to contest elections for six consecutive years. The move comes ahead of the Bihar polls. The parties de-listed cannot field their candidates in elections.

According to the EC, there were 2,520 RUPPs. After the delisting exercise, 2,046 RUPPs remain. Besides, there are six recognised national parties and 67 State parties.

The 474 delisted RUPPs are from 30 different States and Union Territories (UTs), with Uttar Pradesh having the highest number of delisted p...