Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy on Monday warned registered unrecognised political parties that authorities would reject funding reports submitted after the deadline.
In a top-priority communication, Sudarshan Reddy said officials would treat late contribution reports as non-compliance. Therefore, authorities would not take such submissions on record for any purpose.
He directed all RUPPs to file contribution reports under Sections 29B and 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. In addition, parties must submit audited annual accounts and complete election expenditure statements within prescribed timelines.
Funding reports deadlines reiterated for RUPPs
Sudarshan Reddy stressed that officials would not accept documents filed after the due date under any circumstances. Hence, he urged parties to complete all filings well before deadlines.
The directive followed instructions from the Election Commission of India, which flagged repeated delays by political parties nationwide. According to the Commission, such delays violated Section 29C(3) of the 1951 Act, read with Rule 85B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.
Moreover, the Chief Electoral Officer said the move formed part of efforts to strengthen transparency in political funding. He added that the Commission had already initiated action against non-compliant RUPPs in several states.