NATIONAL PARTY TAG

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Context: The Election Commission reviewing the national party status of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Details

Every five years, the election commission reviews the status of all national parties. There was a hearing for the same. According to EC representatives, the poll panel will now start debating whether the NCP meets the requirements to maintain national party status.
The Commission has previously started similar actions. After the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it sent notices to several political parties, including the Communist Party of India (CPI), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC), asking them to justify maintaining their national party status. However, the Election commission decided not to proceed and postponed its plans.

National Party

As the name suggests that a national party would have a presence ‘nationally’, as opposed to a regional party whose presence is restricted to only a particular state or region.

How a National party is defined

The ECI has laid down some criteria for a party to be recognised as a National party, it’s not a permanent tag and a party may gain or lose national party status from time to time, depending on the fulfilment of the conditions.
As per the ECI’s Political Parties and Election Symbols, 2019 handbook, a political party would be considered a national party if it meets any one of the following conditions:
- It is a ‘recognised’ party 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 have a minimum of 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 recognized as a state party, a party needs to meet any one of the following conditions:
- At least 6% vote-share in the last Assembly election and have at least 2 MLAs, or
- Have a 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.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is soon to be officially recognized as the 9th National Party, as;
- The AAP is in power in Delhi and Punjab
- In the Goa Assembly elections, it received 6.77% of the vote and 2 seats.
- In the Gujarat Assembly elections, it received nearly 13% of Votes and 5 seats.

National Party enjoys the following benefits;

The election symbol of the National parties can't be used by any other political party in voting across India.
National Parties get the time slot on national and state television and Radio to address the people and convey their message to people.
National parties receive land or building from the government to establish their party office.
National parties require only one proposer to file a nomination.
National Parties are given two sets of electoral rolls free of cost by the Election Commission.
The candidates contesting on the ticket of a National party get a copy of the electoral roll free of cost during the general elections.
National parties can have up to 40-star campaigners while others can have up to 20-star campaigners.
- The expenditure incurred on the travelling and other expenses of star campaigners is not included in the election expenditure of the party candidate.