Election Commission grants national party status to Aam Aadmi Party; Trinamool Cong, NCP, CPI lose tag

  • The Commission revokes 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.

NE NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, APR 10

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday withdrew the national party status of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India.

In an order issued on Monday, the poll panel recognised Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states — Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is in power in Delhi and Punjab.

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 People’s 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.