Akali Dal Waris Punjab De urges ECI to expedite its registration as political party

Chandigarh: The Akali Dal Waris Punjab De on Thursday urged the Election Commission of India to expedite its registration as a political party, alleging undue delay in processing its application.

In a representation to the ECI through the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Punjab, Waris Punjab De said its application for registration under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, had been pending since January 22, 2025.

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The representation, signed by Waris Punjab De president Tarsem Singh and MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, said the Punjab CEO had submitted a positive verification report on April 27.

"With the Punjab Assembly elections approaching in 2027, further delay prejudices our ability to complete registration, seek a common election symbol and prepare to participate as a registered political party," it said.

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Under the registration procedure prescribed by the poll panel, the application and documents are scrutinised, field verification is undertaken through the state election authorities, and the proposed name is examined, it said.

"Once the verification reports are satisfactory and the name is found prima facie acceptable, the applicant is directed to publish a public notice in two national and two local dailies inviting objections within 30 days.

"Any objections are then considered, the applicant is given an opportunity to reply and be heard, and a final decision follows. This sequence places the formal invitation for public objections after publication," it said.

The Punjab CEO had already submitted a positive verification report on 27 April 2026, giving a favourable assessment of the matters covered, Waris Punjab De said.

"In our submission, we should have been called upon to proceed with publication after the necessary examination of the proposed name, without further avoidable delay," it said.

"Instead, no direction for publication followed, and we were subsequently informed of an objection received on July 9, before any public notice had been published, which is beyond the ordinary procedure for registration of a political party," the representation said.

Moreover, six months have already passed since the ECI received a positive report from the CEO, yet, it has still not issued the publication order, it said.

"We respectfully submit that the failure to advance the application at that stage, followed by the continued withholding of publication, has caused undue delay on the part of the Election Commission," Waris Punjab De said.

"Our members wish to organise peacefully, express their political views and participate in elections in accordance with law," it added.