EC grants national party status to AAP; derecognises CPI, NCP as national parties

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Monday recognised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party and withdrew the national party status of the All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).

In an order issued on Monday, the Commission also revoked the state party status granted to RLD in Uttar Pradesh, BRS in Andhra Pradesh, PDA in Manipur, PMK in Puducherry, RSP in West Bengal and MPC in Mizoram.

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.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is in power in Delhi and Punjab.

The poll panel said that the status of NCP, CPI and the Trinamool Congress as national political parties would be withdrawn.

The BJP, Congress, CPI(M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People's Party (NPP) and the AAP are now national parties.

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.

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.

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday directed the Election Commission to consider the representation made by the Aam Aadmi Party for recognition as a national party as per law, and take a decision by April 13.

The Court directed that the Commission take a decision by April 13 and dispose of the petition.

Alleging that the Election Commission of India has kept its representation for recognition as a national party ‘under review’, the AAP approached the HC with the petition on Wednesday.

The party’s advocate informed the court that it had made a representation to the Commission on December 19, 2022 and a reminder e-mail was sent on March 15, 2023.

It claimed that it had submitted all the requirements under The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, Clause 6B to the Commission, but there has been no action on it.

The party was recognised as a state party in Delhi, Punjab, Goa and Gujarat. It had contested in the Gujarat elections in 2022 and submitted the details of the votes it had secured there to the Commission and sought recognition as a national party as per Clause 6B of the Act.

The AAP pointed to the condition that a party which obtains six per cent of the votes in four different states would be eligible for recognition as a national party.