EC recognizes Aam Aadmi Party as a National Party, NCP-TMC and CPI degraded to local parties

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) gave a big shock to parties like NCP and TMC just before the Lok Sabha elections. The commission has withdrawn the national party status of Trinamool Congress (TMC), NCP and Communist Party of India (CPI). The vote share of these three parties has reduced to less than 6 percent across the country. Earlier, BSP lost its national party status.

Last night the EC, in a statement, recognized Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party. EC has derecognized CPI and TMC as national parties. The Election Commission of India has withdrawn the national party status of NCP. Lok Jan shakti Party (Ram Vilas) got recognition as a state party in Nagaland. Tipra Motha Party has been recognized as a state party in Tripura, while BRS declared invalid as a state party in Andhra Pradesh.

EC has withdrawn the status of state party of RLD in Uttar Pradesh. In West Bengal EC has derecognized Revolutionary Socialist Party as a state party. EC recognized state party status to Voice of the People Party in Meghalaya.

The EC’s decision is based on a review of the parties’ poll performances — the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 21 state assembly polls since 2014. Besides other benefits, the status of a national party ensures that the party’s symbol is reserved for its candidates across the country, and it gets land for an office in the national capital.