NEW DELHI/T’PURAM: The Election Commission (EC) has revoked the national party status of the CPI, Trinamool Congress and NCP. The poll panel recognised the AAP as a national party. In a statement on Monday, the EC said it has taken the decision after “due process and sufficient opportunity of two parliamentary elections and 21 state assembly elections.”
Now, only six parties — BJP, Congress, CPI(M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People’s Party (NPP) and AAP — have national party status. Both CPI and NCP are part of the ruling LDF in Kerala.
CPI central secretariat member and Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam said recognition as a national party is important only from a technical point of view. “CPI’s recognition is in the hearts of the toiling masses,” he tweeted.
P Santhosh Kumar, another CPI Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, told TNIE that the party was aware of the development. CPI had submitted an explanation to EC. Since the criteria for recognition as a national party were not fulfilled, the panel withdrew the status.
NCP leader and Forest Minister A K Saseendran said since the party lost power in Maharashtra, it could not fulfill the criteria and lost its status.
The EC also revoked the state party status granted to RLD in Uttar Pradesh, RSP in West Bengal, BRS in Andhra Pradesh, PDA in Manipur, PMK in Puducherry, and MPC in Mizoram.
It said AAP, which is in power in Delhi and Punjab, has been named as a national party based on its electoral performance in Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat.