Shillong, April 11: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday revoked “National Party” status of three major parties – Trinamool Congress (TMC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).

On the other hand, the ECI recognised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party.

The ECI’s decision was based on a review of the parties’ poll performances in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 21 state assembly polls since 2014. Besides other benefits, the status of a national party ensures that the party’s symbol is reserved for its candidates across the country, and it gets land for an office in the national capital.

The ECI withdrew the national party status of the three parties and granted national party status to AAP under Para 6 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968.

With the latest development, India now has six national parties: BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), CPI(M), National People’s Party (NPP) and AAP.

In addition, the EC granted state party status to the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in Nagaland, Voice of the People Party (VPP) in Meghalaya, and Tipra Motha in Tripura. Similarly, it withdrew the state party status of six parties: Peoples Democratic Alliance in Manipur, Pattali Makkal Katchi in Puducherry, Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh, Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Andhra Pradesh, Revolutionary Socialist Party in West Bengal, and Mizoram People’s Conference in Mizoram.

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Criteria for national and state party status 

According to Paragraph 6C of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968, amended with effect from January 1, 2014, a party will continue to be a national or state party if it fulfils the criteria laid down in Paragraphs 6A and 6B in the “next election”, after the one in which it “got recognition”.

Paragraph 6A of the Order states that a state party must get at least 6% of the votes polled in the last Assembly election and at least two MLAs; or 6% vote share and one MP from that state in the last Lok Sabha election; or 3% of the total seats in the Assembly or three seats, whichever is more.

Similarly, Paragraph 6B of the Order states that a national party must get at least 6% vote share in four or more states in the last Lok Sabha or Assembly elections and have at least four MPs; or at least 2% of the seats in the Lok Sabha, with its candidates having been elected from at least three states.

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