Delhi State Chief and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) head, Arvind Kejriwal, praised his party workers' efforts on Tuesday for their role in winning the AAP's newly acquired status of national party. He described achieving national party status in 10 years as a "miraculous and incredible" feat.
On Monday, the AAP was awarded national party status. But the top poll body, the Election Commission of India (ECI), revoked the national status of three other parties - the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
"I congratulate everyone. The almighty wants us to do something for the country," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter in Hindi while reminding party volunteers about the three pillars of their party ideology - undying honesty, patriotism, and humanity.
The election commission also revoked the state party status of some regional parties - Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Andhra Pradesh, People's Democratic Alliance (PDP) in Manipur, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Puducherry, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in West Bengal and Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) in Mizoram.
The ECI's decision came after the Karnataka High Court directed the election commission to clear up the status of the AAP, as its members filed a petition alleging that the party fulfills all conditions to be classed as a national party, but the poll panel was delaying the matter.
National party status comes with many benefits.
National Party: What Are the Criteria?
According to the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, political parties in India get registered as "national party", "state party", or "registered (unrecognized) party".
The political parties need to fulfill any one condition of the following three to be a national party:
1.
It should be recognized as a state party in at least four states,2.
The party should win two percent of seats in the national election in at least three states, or3.
The party should have six percent of the total votes in the last parliamentary election or state Assembly election and should win at least four Lok Sabha seatsHow Does AAP fulfill the requirements?
AAP is at present ruling in Punjab and Delhi. It has five assembly seats in Gujarat and in the Goa Assemblies and has 6.77 percent of the votes.
What Advantages Does National Party Status Provide?
The party will have one election symbol across the country.
Party candidates also gain access to the voter list
The government will provide land to open a national party office in Delhi
The party can field 40-star campaigners during elections. State parties can have only 20-star campaigners.
Expenditure on the star campaigners will not be included in the election expenditure of the party candidate
The party gets time to spread its message to the people through government-run broadcasters: All India Radio and Doordarshan.