India: Most unrecognized political parties fail to disclose audit reports

A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reveals that 65 percent of India's registered unrecognized political parties (RUPPs) failed to make their annual audit and contribution reports for the 2024-25 financial year available to the public.

The analysis covered 734 RUPPs across 34 states and Union Territories. The study found that 1,330 RUPPs had no audit or contribution reports in the public domain. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of parties with missing reports, while Delhi, Bihar, and Gujarat showed higher compliance rates.

Regarding donations, the top 10 donors to the top 10 RUPPs contributed a total of Rs 120.983 crore. The New India United Party declared the highest donations at Rs 270.9984 crore, followed by the Swatantra Abhivyakti Party and the Bharatiya Garib Vikas Kalyan Party. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the lack of transparency was particularly high, with 72 percent of RUPPs in those two states failing to provide necessary disclosures.