NEW DELHI, Apr 10: Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which emerged out of Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement in 2012, got elevated to a national party status on Monday. The party is currently in power in two states – Delhi and Punjab.
At the same time, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, and the CPI in big setbacks, have been downgraded to the status of regional parties. The poll body has 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 Election Commission of India said the NCP and Trinamool Congress would 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 ECI said the AAP had been named as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states – Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat. The party chief termed the development a “huge responsibility” and “nothing less than a miracle” as the AAP achieved the national party status in record time.
“National party in such a short time? This is nothing less than a miracle. Many congratulations to all. Crores of people of the country have taken us here. People expect a lot from us. Today people have given us this huge responsibility. Lord, bless us to fulfil this responsibility well,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
For a political party to be recognised as a national party, it has to be a recognised state party in four or more states (or) 2% seats in Lok Sabha. Once a party loses a national party status, the party will not get common symbol for its candidates in states where it’s not recognised. For example, Trinamool candidates will not get its symbol for elections in Karnataka if it chooses to contest.
In the multi-party system that India enjoys, there are six national parties after today’s restructuring – Congress, BJP, CPM, Bahujan Samaj Party, National People’s Party (NPP) and the latest entrant, the Aam Aadmi Party.
“All of us at AAP are thrilled at this good news. I congratulate every single worker of AAP who worked tirelessly through the last decade to make AAP a success. Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP is India’s fastest growing political start-up,” AAP MP Raghav Chadha said minutes after the news broke. “Despite all odds, despite every single trick in the book to eliminate AAP from the national political space, AAP is going strength-to-strength,” he added.
Last week, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said getting the status of a national party will boost the party in the upcoming state elections in Karnataka. The AAP is contesting on all 224 seats in Karnataka which votes on May 10.
The ECI move comes only days after it informed the Karnataka High Court that it would take a decision on AAP’s application for granting it national party status before April 13 when the gazette notification of the Karnataka Assembly polls will be issued. AAP had filed an application for the grant of national party status in December 2022.
(Manas Dasgupta)
