AAP becomes national party; Trinamool, NCP, and CPI lose status
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New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party on Monday got elevated to a national level party. The party emerged in 2012 after the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement and is currently in power in Delhi and Punjab.
For a political party to become a national party, it has to be a recognised state party in four or more states. Or it should have 2% seats in Lok Sabha.
The Election Commission said the AAP was elevated based on its performance in elections in four states - Goa, Gujarat, Punjab, and Delhi. Party head and Delhi CM Kejriwal said the development is a "huge responsibility" and "nothing less than a miracle". He added that AAP has achieved national party status in a short time, reported NDTV.
"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," he tweeted in Hindi.
"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. Despite all odds, despite every single trick in the book to eliminate AAP from the national political space, AAP is going strength-to-strength," AAP MP Raghav Chadha told the outlet.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh last week said that national party status will improve the party's chances in the upcoming elections in Karnataka. The AAP is contesting all 224 seats in the state. The election is on May 10.
On the other hand, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool, and Left party CPI were downgraded to regional status. Once the party loses its national status, it will not get the common symbol for its candidates where it is not recognised.
Now, India has six national parties - Congress, BJP, CPM, Bahujan Samaj Party, National People's Party (NPP), and AAP.
The election body also revoked 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.