Recognition of National or State Party

In News

• Recently, the AAP was given the status of a ‘national party’ by the Election Commission (EC).
  • The EC also revoked the ‘national party’ status of the All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
  • The Commission also revoked the state party status granted to few other state parties.

What is a National Party?

• The name suggests that a national party would be one that has a presence ‘nationally’, as opposed to a regional party whose presence is restricted to only a particular state or region.
• National parties are usually India’s bigger parties, such as the Congress and BJP. 
  • However, some smaller parties are also recognised as national parties. 
• A certain stature is sometimes associated with being a national party, but this does not necessarily translate into having a lot of national political clout.
• Some parties, despite being dominant in a major state and having a major say in national affairs, remain regional parties.

Criterion for recognition

• The ECI has laid down the technical criterion for a party to be recognised as a national party. 
• A party may gain or lose national party status from time to time, depending on the fulfilment of these laid-down conditions.
• As per the ECI’s Political Parties and Election Symbols, 2019 handbook,

• A political party would be considered a national party if:
  • It is ‘recognised’ in four or more states; or
  • If its candidates polled at least 6% of total valid votes in any four or more states in the last Lok Sabha or Assembly elections and has at least four MPs in the last Lok Sabha polls; or
  • If it has won at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from not less than three states.
• To be recognised as a state party, a party needs:
  • At least 6% vote-share in the last Assembly election and have at least 2 MLAs; or
  • have 6% vote-share in the last Lok Sabha elections from that state and at least one MP from that state; or
  • At least 3% of the total number of seats or three seats, whichever is more, in the last Assembly elections; or
  • At least one MP for every 25 members or any fraction allotted to the state in the Lok Sabha; or
  • Have at least 8% of the total valid votes in the last Assembly election or Lok Sabha election from the state.

AAP’s current position

• The AAP is in power with big majorities and very large vote shares 
  • In Delhi and Punjab. And in the Goa Assembly elections held in March, it received 6.77% of the vote.
• State party:
  • This meant that going into the Gujarat-Himachal elections, the party already fulfilled the criteria for recognition as a state party in three states.
    • It now required 6% of the vote in the Assembly elections in either Himachal or Gujarat to be recognised in a fourth state — which would qualify it for recognition as a national party.
  • While the AAP got only 1% of the vote in Himachal, the almost 13% vote it got in Gujarat was more than double required to be recognised as a state party there.

Source: IE