The Election Commission of India (ECI) has cancelled the registration of the Lok Satta Party, founded by former IAS officer and ex-MLA Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), who once played a key role in the politics of the Telugu states.
The decision was taken as part of the Commission’s ongoing exercise to weed out inactive and non-compliant unrecognised political parties across the country.
In its latest round of action, the ECI has cancelled the registration of 474 parties nationwide, including 17 from Andhra Pradesh and eight from Telangana.
The reasons cited include non-participation in elections for the past six years, failure to maintain a functional office address, and non-submission of financial transaction details.
Among the parties from Telangana that lost their registration are the Lok Satta Party, All India Azad Party, BC Bharat Desam Party, and Navabharat National Party.
From Andhra Pradesh, the “Jai Samaikyandhra Party” floated by former chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy after the bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh, also lost the EC recognition. Kiran Kumar Reddy has now joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Jayaprakash Narayan launched the Lok Satta Party in 2006 with the objective of ushering in reforms in politics. He was elected as an MLA from Kukatpally in 2009.
However, since 2014, JP has distanced himself from direct politics and has been limiting his participation to debates and discussions. In this context, the loss of his party’s registration has become a talking point.
The Election Commission has been pursuing this cleansing drive for some time now. In August this year, it had similarly removed 334 parties from the rolls.
With the latest action, the total number of cancelled registrations has gone up to 808 in just two months.
The Commission has also indicated that it will soon strike off another 359 parties—including eight from Andhra Pradesh and 10 from Telangana.
Officials clarified that these measures are being taken to enhance transparency in the electoral process.
