- Why in News- Election Commission of India have accorded Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) the status of a national party.
- Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) lost their national party status.
- The EC also revoked the recognition of some parties as State parties.
- How does a party get recognised as a national party?
- The Election Commission reviews the poll performance of recognised parties after every State Assembly election or general election to the Lok Sabha.
- The rules for recognition as a national party are specified by the Commission in para 6B of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
- A party becomes eligible to be accorded national status if it manages to fulfil one of the following conditions:
- Besides this, the Symbols Order of 1968 was amended in 2016 to give parties one additional “pass over”.
- As per this amendment, deemed to have been in force since January 1, 2014, if a national or State party fails to fulfil the eligibility criteria in the next general elections (March 2014 Lok Sabha polls in this case) or the Assembly election after the election in which it received recognition, it will continue to be recognised as a national or State party, meaning it will not be stripped of its status.
- However, whether it will continue to be recognised after any subsequent election would again have to be determined by the eligibility criteria.
- The AAP gained national status after the EC order, as it was recognised as a State party in four States — Delhi, Punjab, Goa, and Gujarat.
- The Trinamool Congress, which lost its national status, had gained it in 2016 by virtue of the “pass-over” amendment to the Symbols Act.
- It was a State party in three States — West Bengal, Tripura, and Manipur — but it did not meet eligibility conditions to remain a State party in Arunachal Pradesh in the 2014 General and State elections.
- However, the Commission did not revoke its State party status, in line with the amendment.
- In the EC’s most recent review, the party did not manage to remain a State party in the required four States.
- Meanwhile, the NCP lost its recognition in three States.
- Besides the changes to the state recognitions of the TMC, the NCP, and the CPI, the ECI also revoked State party status granted to some parties.
The Tipra Motha in Tripura, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Nagaland and the Voice of the People Party in Meghalaya were granted “recognised State political party” status.
- What are the benefits of recognition as national and State parties?
- A recognised political party enjoys privileges such as
- a reserved party symbol,
- free broadcast time on State-run television and radio,
- consultation in the setting of election dates, and
- giving input in setting electoral rules and regulations.
- Candidates put up by registered but unrecognised political parties are allotted election symbols by the Returning Officers of the constituencies after the last date for withdrawal of candidature as per availability.
Thus, the party cannot use a single poll symbol across the country.
