AAP gets national party status from EC; Trinamool, NCP, CPI lose tag

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday (April 11) granted national party status to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), even as Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) lost their national party tags.

The EC has recognised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states, Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat, said the poll panel. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is in power in Delhi and Punjab.

However, the EC withdrew the national party status of West Bengal’s TMC, Maharashtra’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).

The poll panel further said that the status of NCP, CPI and the Trinamool Congress as national political parties would be withdrawn. They will recognised as state parties in Nagaland and Meghalaya respectively based on their performance in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Also read: AAP releases first list of 80 candidates for Karnataka Assembly elections

In an order issued on Monday, 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.

The BJP, Congress, CPI(M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National Peoples Party (NPP) and the AAP are now national parties.

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.