CPI, TMC, NCP May Lose National Party Status As Election Commission Gears Up To Issue Notices

With Lok Sabha election results having been declared in May, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to issue show-cause notices to several national parties to justify their said status, PTI has reported.

Of India’s eight national parties, Communist Party of India (CPI), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) are under the ECI’s radar following their dismal performance in the general elections.

For a party to be registered as a national party it must meet one of the following criteria

1. A party wins 2 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha from at least three different states.
2. At a general election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party polls 6 per cent of votes in any four or more states and in addition it wins four Lok Sabha seats.
3. A party gets recognition as a state party in four states.

The NCP and CPI along with BSP were facing the prospect of de-recognition as national parties after the 2014 LS polls too, but earned a reprieve as the ECI changed its review duration from five to 10 years. BSP, however, is better placed after the 2019 results.

National parties enjoy several benefits like reserved national symbol throughout the nation, free air time on Doordarshan and AIR and subsidised land for party offices among others.