New Delhi, Oct. 10: The Election Commission has sent the BJP a notice asking why it should not be de-recognised for failing to furnish reports of its expenditures during last year’s Uttar Pradesh and Goa polls.

Nothing much is expected to come out of the show-cause notice, but it is an embarrassment for a party that is always looking for an opportunity to claim the moral high ground.

Under election laws, every registered political party must produce an account of its poll expenses within 60 days of polling. The commission has summoned the BJP for a hearing on Monday afternoon.

Sources said the BJP had ignored several reminders from the commission about the lapse in the past few months. The party has not furnished its expenditure reports for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls either.

Commission records show that all other parties have submitted their reports for each of the four state polls.

Many BJP leaders were apparently not aware of the lapse. One leader said: “These (lapses) indicate the casual approach of some office-bearers in the present set-up.”

Another leader dismissed the matter as a minor one, saying: “This is just an oversight of the person who deals with the Election Commission.”

The poll commission can withdraw a party’s symbol or cancel a candidate’s election for failure to file a report of expenses, but it rarely invokes these powers. Parties do often delay their reports, then make excuses and seek another chance.

The BJP, however, cuts a sorry figure because it is forever boasting about its efficient election apparatus and poll-readiness. It set up an election management committee months ago for the next Lok Sabha polls and even began selecting candidates.