AAP gets ‘national party’ status; Trinamool, Nationalist Congress Party lose it

The Election Commission of India on Monday revised the list of national and state political parties, granting national party status to the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, and downgrading veteran politician Sharad Pawer-led Nationalist Congress Party and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.

“Review of the poll performance of AAP shows that in the general election to legislative assembly of Gujarat, AAP polled 12.92% of total vote,” the commission said in its order. “It has fulfilled the criteria of a state party in Gujarat… and is already a recognised state party in Delhi, Goa and Punjab.”

The national status gives a party several advantages such as a common party symbol across states, free airtime during elections on public broadcasters, and space for a party office in New Delhi.

According to the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, a political party is recognised as a national party if it fulfils any of the following three conditions: First, it secures at least 6% of votes polled in four or more states in Lok Sabha or assembly elections, and, in addition, have at least four members in the Lok Sabha. Second, it has at least 2% of the total Lok Sabha seats and its candidates come from not less than three states. Third, it is recognised as a state party in at least four states. AAP meets the third criteria.

AAP, founded in 2012, won the Punjab assembly elections early last year, and also won five seats in the Gujarat elections later.

Before Monday’s change by ECI, there were eight national parties registered with EC. They were the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, TMC, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the CPI (Marxist), NCP and the National People’s Party (NPP).

NCP, meanwhile, lost its national party status. Noting that the party no longer meets any of the above-mentioned criteria, the EC withdrew its state party status in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya. It has been recognised as a state party in Nagaland.

Being recognised as a state party requires that a party fulfils any of these five conditions. One, the party gets at least 6% of the votes and wins at least two seats in the assembly election. Two, it gets at least 6% of the votes polled and has at least one MP in the Lok Sabha. Three, it has at least 3% or three MLAs in the assembly, whichever is more. Four, it has at least one Lok Sabha member for every 25 assembly members or any fraction thereof allotted to the state. Five, it has at least 8% of the total valid votes polled in the state in the previous election to the Lok Sabha or assembly in the state. Earlier, there were 58 recognised state parties in the country.

Similarly, TMC only retains its state party status in Bengal and Tripura. Its national party status has been withdrawn and it is no longer a recognised state party in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has been recognised as a state party in Nagaland, Voice of the People’s Party in Meghalaya and Tipra Motha Party in Tripura.

Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh, Revolutionary Socialist Party in Bengal, and K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtriya Samiti (Telangana Rashtriya Samithi) are no longer recognised as parties in the mentioned states.