Today marks a very important date in the political world of India, as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been granted a national party status by the Election Commission of India. The party has been given this status based on the electoral performance in its four states – Delhi, Punjab, Goa and Gujarat.
With gaining the status, the AAP joins an elite list of national parties in India such as Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Communist Party of India (CPI). The status also means that the party can contest elections in all states and union territories of India.
Aam Aadmi Party founder and Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, termed the new tag as a “huge responsibility” and called it “nothing less than a miracle” that AAP had achieved national party status in record time.
“National party in such a short time? This is nothing less than a miracle. Many congratulations to all. Crores of people of the country have taken us here. People expect a lot from us. Today people have given us this huge responsibility. Lord, bless us to fulfill this responsibility well,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool, has witnessed a huge setback, as both parties have been downgraded to the status of regional parties. The CPI also was shifted to the regional party status.
“All of us at AAP are thrilled at this good news. I congratulate every single worker of AAP who worked tirelessly through the last decade to make AAP a success. Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP is India’s fastest growing political start-up,” AAP MP Raghav Chadha told NDTV after receiving the good news.
Here is the complete list of national parties in India:
Aam Aadmi Party
Bahujan Samaj Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Indian National Congress
National People’s Party (NPP)
After a party gets a national status, they get the luxury of a common poll symbol across the country, more star campaigners, free airtime on national broadcasters for election campaigns and a space for a head office in Delhi.