AAP Gets ‘National Party’ Status

• On April 10, 2023, the Election Commission of India withdrew the national party status of Trinamool Congress (TMC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) and recognized Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam, Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party.
• AAP: Besides Delhi, Goa and Punjab, AAP became a state party in Gujarat after the 2022 Assembly elections where it secured 12.92% of the votes.
• India now has six national parties –
  1. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
  2. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
  3. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
  4. Communist Party of India (Marxist)
  5. Indian National Congress (INC)
  6. National People’s Party (NPP)

Criteria for recognition as a National Party

As per the ECI’s Political Parties and Election. Symbols, 2019 handbook, a political party would be considered a national party if

• If it has won at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from not less than three states.
• 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.
• It is ‘recognized’ in four or more states.