AAP attains 'national party' status; TMC, NCP, CPI lose tag
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday was reportedly elevated to the status of a national political party, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, the poll body has withdrawn the national party tag of several popular parties, such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Communist Party of India (CPI), following a review of their status.
Why does this story matter?
The ECI's latest move is a significant setback for veteran politician Sharad Pawar's NCP and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's TMC ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Moreover, assembly polls are scheduled to take place in several states later this year. On the other hand, it is a massive boost for the AAP, which is currently ruling two states: Delhi and Punjab.
Decision made after following due process: ECI
In an official statement, the ECI confirmed that it was revoking the "national party status" of three recognized parties, including the TMC, the NCP, and the CPI, as per India Today. The poll panel further reportedly said that the decision was made after "following due process and providing a sufficient opportunity of two Parliamentary elections and 21 State Assembly Elections."
Now, there are 6 national parties in India
As per the ECI rules, political parties that are recognized as "state parties" in at least four states or 2% Lok Sabha seats or more are promoted to the "national party" status. Following the latest restructuring process, there are six national parties in India: AAP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People's Party (NPP), and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
ECI move's impact on parties' popularity
The ECI's decision reportedly came after hearings on the TMC, the NCP, and the CPI last month to decide whether they could retain their "national party" tags. Their degradation of the regional party status will also affect their popularity. Reportedly, if a party loses its national status, it can't contest with a common symbol for its candidates in states where it is not recognized.
These got recognized as 'state political parties'
Meanwhile, the ECI on Monday also granted the "recognized state political party" status to three parties. These included the Voice of the People Party (VPP) in Meghalaya, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) in Tripura, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Nagaland. On the other hand, six parties lost their state-level party tags in certain states, as per the ECI.
List of 'registered unrecognized political parties'
The ECI revoked the "state party" status to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh, the Revolutionary Socialist Party in West Bengal, and the People's Democratic Alliance in Manipur. The list also includes the Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Puducherry, the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) in Mizoram, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Andhra Pradesh. These will be "registered unrecognized political parties."
