Political party registration in India serves as an investment in trust, belief, and faith in the Indian people. Before starting a political party campaign process, the political party must be registered with the Indian Election Commission. In India, political party registration is mandatory and may subsequently be eligible under the regulations of the People’s Congress Act of 1951. Currently, India has more than 2,143 registered political parties, 400 have been formed in the last five years. Under the law, for registration, a group or association of people must submit an application to India’s Election Commission. Here, all the details are requested in subsection (4) of section 29A of the human representative law—1951 with supplementary documents required for party registration.
Important points to fill out the registration application
• The application you submit must be properly written or entered on the letterhead of the parties.
• Within 30 days of the party’s formation date, the request must be sent by certified mail or personally delivered to the Secretary of the Election Commission.
• If submitted after the specified 30 days, it will be considered as a specified application.
• It is appropriate to point out that all pages of a political party registration application must be a comprehensive annex with a serial number.
Eligibility criteria for registration
• According to the Indian Election Commission, at least 100 members must be present in the new political party to register.
• Each member of the proposed party must have a voter identification card.
• Having a voter ID card means that a particular member is at least 18 years old.
Rules to follow when forming a political party
• Name: The name of the party in question cannot include gender, caste, or religion.
• Purpose: The purpose and purpose of the party must be consistent with India’s Indian Constitution.
• Membership: All adults must be able to be members of the group. In addition, party members should not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, caste, or religion.
• Decision making-The spirit of democracy must be reflected in decision-making or the function and authority of political parties.
• Nomination – You can nominate less than one-third of all members for a period of up to 5 years. Regular elections take place within a maximum of five years.
• Party Funds: Political activities should only be carried out using party funds. You also need to maintain a monthly account after spending the funds.
• Account Audit: Political parties must audit their accounts annually. The auditor in question must belong to the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) panel. Finally, the audited account must be submitted to the Indian Election Commission (ECI) within six months of the end of the fiscal year.
• Checklist – You can submit a complete list containing clear answers to each document, along with a party registration application.
Registration procedure
• The prescribed performance and required guidelines issued by the Commission are available on the Commission’s website.
• Committees typically take four months to process a new party application.
• The Commission allows the general public to raise objections and issues to political parties for 30 days upon request.
• The applicant or representative of the proposed party must declare his intention to form a political party by issuing a notice in the newspaper.
• After 30 days, if the general public does not raise any objections or issues, the Commission will continue to investigate the documents presented. Confirmation will be permitted within 4-5 months after the application is submitted.
• After confirmation from the committee, the next step for a political party is to choose an election symbol. Symbol selection must be made from the symbols available on consignment.
• If the member is not satisfied with the symbol selection, the member can choose the symbol himself or submit a sketch for the approval of the committee.
Required documents
• A draft request for 10 rupees should be issued in favour of the Secretary of the Election Commission of India. It is important to note that the registration processing fee is non-refundable.
• Political party memorandums of association (MOA) and association clauses (AOA) must include regulations on various levels of organized elections, election cycles, and incumbent and obligatory parties.
• Affidavit that no party member is a member of any other registered party.
• Affidavit declares both member personal information and criminal records.
• Certificate of No Objection (NOC) from the owner of the facility where the party’s registration office is located. The NOC must be in the form of a formal stamped Affidavit.
• A copy of the Party Constitution approved by the party’s President / President / Secretary-General. In addition, the document must be stamped with the signer.
• PAN card and bank account data, including the name of the provider.
• Excerpt from the latest election vote. At least 100 party members must be registered voters.
• All party office owners must declare assets, wealth and investments for themselves or their spouse and children.
• A separate Affidavit from each member, indicating that the party members are registered voters and not members of other political parties.