The Election Commission of India Monday recognized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party while revoking the status of the Mamta Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Communist Party of India. The poll body also stripped away 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 that NCP and Trinamool Congress would be recognized as state parties in Nagaland and Meghalaya respectively based on their performance in the recently concluded Assembly elections. It also granted “recognized state political party” status to the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Nagaland, the Voice of the People Party in Meghalaya, and the Tipra Motha in Tripura. The BJP, Congress, CPI(M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People’s Party (NPP), and the AAP are the remaining national parties now.
What is a national party?
The name suggests that a national party would be one that has a presence ‘nationally’, as opposed to a regional party whose existence is restricted to only a particular state or region. National parties are usually India’s bigger parties, such as the Congress and BJP. However, some smaller parties are also recognized as national parties. A certain stature is sometimes associated with being a national party, but this does not necessarily translate into having a lot of national political clout. Some parties, despite being dominant in a major state — such as the DMK in Tamil Nadu, BJD in Odisha, YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, RJD in Bihar, or TRS in Telangana — and having a major say in national affairs, remain regional parties.
To be recognized as a state party, a party needs:
i. At least 6% vote-share in the last Assembly election and have at least 2 MLAs; or have 6% vote-share in the last Lok Sabha elections from that state and at least one MP from that state.
OR
ii. At least 3% of the total number of seats or three seats, whichever is more, in the last Assembly elections.
OR
iii. At least one MP for every 25 members or any fraction allotted to the state in the Lok Sabha.
OR
Have at least 8% of the total valid votes in the last Assembly election or Lok Sabha election from the state.
The 10- year old AAP is in power with big majorities — and very large vote shares — in the national capital and Punjab. In the Goa Assembly elections in March last year, it received 6.77% of the vote. This meant that going into the Gujarat-Himachal elections towards the end of 2022, the party already fulfilled the criteria for recognition as a state party in three states. It then required 6% of the vote in the Assembly elections in either Himachal or Gujarat to be recognized in a fourth state — which would qualify it for recognition as a national party. While the AAP got only 1% of the vote in Himachal, the almost 13% vote it got in Gujarat was more than double required to be recognized as a state party there. That made it four states.
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