Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received a major shot in the arm as the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced its recognition as a national party. On the other hand, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Communist Party of India (CPI) lost their national party status in the latest set of decisions by the poll panel.
NCP and AITC, however, will be recognized as state parties in Nagaland and Meghalaya, respectively. The Commission said that NCP and Trinamool Congress will be recognised as state parties in Nagaland and Meghalaya respectively based on their performance in the recently concluded assembly elections.
The Election Commission, in its order issued on Monday, also revoked the state party status of several political parties, including BRS in Telangana while Tipra Motha was granted the status of “recognised state political party”. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was also a gainer in the poll panel's order as it was granted state party status in Nagaland.
List of political parties with national status:
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Indian National Congress (INC)
- Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
- National People's Party (NPP); and
- Aam Aadmi Party
The Commission said the AAP has been named as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states: Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat. Reacting to the order, Kejriwal said becoming a national party in such a short time is nothing less than a miracle.
{{/usCountry}}The Commission said the AAP has been named as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states: Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat. Reacting to the order, Kejriwal said becoming a national party in such a short time is nothing less than a miracle.
{{/usCountry}}“Crores of people of the country have taken us here. People expect a lot from us. Today people have given us this huge responsibility,” he said in a tweet.
The poll panel also revoked the state party status granted to Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Rashtriya Sangh (BRS) in Andhra Pradesh, PDA in Manipur, PMK in Puducherry, RSP in West Bengal and MPC in Mizoram.
It also granted "recognised state political party" status to the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Nagaland, Voice of the People Party in Meghalaya and the Tipra Motha in Tripura.