Context:
The Election Commission of India on April 10 granted the status of a national party to the Aam Aadmi Party.
Also Read: Features and Type of Election in India
Also Read: Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 10 granted the status of a national party to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), while also withdrawing this status from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
This move comes only days after the ECI informed the Karnataka High Court that it will decide on the AAP’s application for the grant of ‘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.
The Commission recognised the AAP 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.
To earn a national party status, a political outfit needs to be recognised as State party in four States and have at least two members in the respective Legislative Assemblies, according to the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) order, 1968.
In an order issued on 10th April 2023, 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.
How many political parties are in India?
Several hundred political parties are officially registered in India. However, there are significantly fewer parties that are actually active and have a sizable presence at the federal or state level. There are currently 6 recognised national parties as of 10th April 2023.
With the latest move of the ECI, the number of National Political Parties in India has come down to six —
| NATIONAL PARTIES IN INDIA | FOUNDING YEAR | LEADER |
| Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) | 1980 (43 years ago) | J. P. Nadda |
| Congress | 1885 (138 years ago) | Mallikarjun Kharge |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 1964 (59 years ago) | Sitaram Yechuri |
| Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) | 1984 (39 years ago) | Mayawati |
| National People’s Party (NPP) | 2013 (10 years ago) | Conrad Sangma |
| Aam Aadmi Party | 26 November 2012 (10 years ago) | Arvind Kejriwal |
Eligibility For Status Of Political Party
A party is recognized as a State Party if any of the following requirements are met:
- If it receives at least 6% of the valid votes cast in a general election for the state’s Legislative Assembly or Lok Sabha, as well as at least 1 seat in the Legislative Assembly or 2 seats in the Lok Sabha.
- If it prevails in a general election held to the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly of a state with at least 8% of all valid votes cast.
- If it wins three legislative seats, three per cent of the state’s legislative assembly seats, or at least three per cent of those seats.
- If it wins at least one Lok Sabha seat out of the 25 that are allotted to the States.
- Currently, the Election Commission has designated 64 political parties as State Political Parties.
A party is recognized as National Political Party (NPP) if a full fills any of the following conditions:
- If it receives at least 6% of the valid votes cast in an election for the Lok Sabha or the State’s Legislative Assembly in 4 or more states, in addition to at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha from 1 or more states.
- If it receives at least 8% of the valid votes cast in a general election for the Lok Sabha or state legislature held in four or more states.
- If it receives votes from three or more states for at least 2% of the Lok Sabha’s total seats.
- Currently, the Election Commission has designated 8 political parties as National Political Parties.
- Latest NPP: The National People’s Party (NPP), the first regional party from the northeast to receive this honour, has been named India’s eighth national party by the Election Commission of India.
According to Election Commission 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.
Source: THE HINDU
