New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Monday revised, for the first time since 2018, the list of national and state political parties, granting national party status to the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and downgrading veteran politician Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
“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 noted 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.”
AAP’s national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the EC decision was nothing less than a “miracle”, and credited people for the recognition. “Many congratulations to everyone. Crores of people from the country have brought us here. People expect a lot from us. Today the public has given us this huge responsibility. I pray to the God, to bless us to fulfil this responsibility with full dedication,” he tweeted.
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.
{{/usCountry}}AAP, founded in 2012, won the Punjab assembly elections early last year, and also won five seats in the Gujarat elections later.
{{/usCountry}}Before Monday’s change by ECI, there were eight registered national parties: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, TMC, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist); NCP; and the National People’s Party (NPP).
NCP lost its national party status because it no longer meets any of the three criteria; it is no longer a state party in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya, although it is now a state party in Nagaland.
A party is recognised as a state one if it meets any of five conditions. One, it 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% of the votes 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.
Mahesh Tapase, chief spokesperson of the NCP, said they will approach the EC to restore the party’s national status. “After making a careful submission to all the queries raised by the election commission, we see the order as a shock. We will again approach the commission with a representation to restore our national status.”
Earlier, there were 58 recognised state parties in the country.
TMC has lost its national party status for similar reasons. It is now a party status in Bengal and Tripura. It is no longer a recognised state party in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
Reacting to the development, TMC’s Bengal unit vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar said: “The TMC has been enjoying the status of a national party for quite a long period. The ECI from time to time comes up with yardsticks for the classification of national parties, regional parties, registered parties etc. We have to check what exactly has changed. The TMC had presented its case before the poll panel elaborately. Everyone knows how the ECI has lost its neutrality. We have to check what exactly happened and whether there was any influence of the ruling party.”
CPI lost its status as a national party and as a state party in West Bengal and Odisha. The party remains a state party in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Manipur. CPI national secretary Binoy Biswam told news agency PTI: “National recognition is of course important from a technical point of view. CPI’s recognition is in the hearts of the toiling masses. It is built up with the blood, sweat and tears of the fighting people. The party will intensify its battle for democracy, secularism and socialism.”
The Lok Janshakti party (Ram Vilas) has been recognised as a state party in Nagaland, the Voice of the People’s Party in Meghalaya and the Tipra Motha Party in Tripura.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh, the Revolutionary Socialist Party in Bengal, and K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtriya Samiti (previously, the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi) in Andhra Pradesh are no longer recognised as state parties in the above-mentioned states.