AAP Now National Party; Trinamool, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, CPI Lose Status
New Delhi:
Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, or 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.
The Election Commission said the AAP has been named as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states – Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat.
Party boss Arvind Kejriwal 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 fulfill this responsibility well,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool, in a big setback, have been downgraded to the status of regional parties. The CPI too was assigned the regional party status.
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, say rules.
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 told NDTV 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 that 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.