Privacy notice

The Rashtriya Independent Party is the data fiduciary for the personal data described below, within the meaning of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. This notice is written to be read rather than to be survived.

What we collect

When you apply to join we collect your name, phone number, district, chosen track, and whatever you write in the free text field. When you contribute we additionally collect your address, PAN, and payment details, because the law governing political contributions requires it. When you file a grievance we collect your name, contact details, and your account of what happened.

We do not collect caste, religion, or any special category of data at the point of joining, and we do not ask for it later.

Why we hold it, and on what basis

Application data is held on your consent, to assess your application, place you in a unit, and contact you about it. Contribution data is held to meet obligations under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the Income Tax Act, including our annual contribution report to the Election Commission. Grievance data is held to investigate and answer your complaint.

What we publish

Contributions are published in our public register with the donor's name, amount, date and mode of payment. This is a deliberate choice going beyond what the law requires, and you are told about it before you contribute rather than after. We do not publish your PAN, your address, your phone number, or your payment details.

Nothing you write in an application or a grievance is ever published.

Who else sees it

Inside the party, your application is seen by the state team for your district and by the national organisation office. Outside it, data is shared only with our payment processor, our auditors, and the Election Commission or a court where the law requires. We do not sell data, we do not rent it, and we do not hand membership lists to a campaign vendor.

How long we keep it

Unsuccessful applications are erased twelve months after the decision. Member records are held while you remain a member and for three years after you cease to be one. Contribution records are held for the period the tax and election law requires, currently eight years. Grievance records are held for three years after the matter is closed.

Your rights

You may ask us what we hold about you and receive a summary. You may have inaccurate data corrected and incomplete data completed. You may withdraw consent and have your data erased, except where we are required by law to retain it. You may nominate another person to exercise these rights if you are unable to. We answer every such request in writing.

Security

Data is held on access-controlled systems, restricted to the office bearers who need it for the purpose it was given for. Payment details are handled by our payment processor and are not stored by the party.

Complaints

Write to our grievance officer at grievance@rashtriyaindependent.org or use the grievance form. You will get a written acknowledgement with a reference number. If you are not satisfied with how we handle it, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.

Changes to this notice

When this notice changes we publish the new version with its date and keep the previous one accessible, so you can see what changed rather than take our word for it.

This notice takes effect on the date the party website goes live. Version 1.