New Delhi: People aware of the matter have said that the Election Commission may announce a new list of recognized national and state parties before the 2024 general elections.
Following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the poll panel issued notices to several political parties including the Communist Party of India (CPI), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC). He has to explain why his national party status should continue. However, the poll body put a stop to his plans to liquidate his position.
“The commission is reviewing the parties,” said a person on condition of anonymity. “It is a routine process. It started after the 2019 general elections and was stopped due to Covid,” the person added.
A national party status confers several advantages, such as a common party symbol in the states, free airtime during elections on public broadcasters, space for a party office in New Delhi, etc.
The process was restarted last month. The commission has already heard about this from NCP, CPI, TMC and around eight state parties, said the person cited above.
The person cited above said that parties can retain their symbols for some time even if they are derecognised.
Section 10(a) of the Symbols Order exempts candidates set up by an unrecognized party, which was earlier recognized as a national or state party. “If a political party, which is for the time being unrecognised, but is a recognized national or State party in any State or Union territory not earlier than six years from the date of notification of the election, an election sets up a candidate at an election in the constituency In any State or Union territory, whether such party was previously recognized in that State or Union territory or not, such candidate, all other candidates in the constituency Except, a symbol previously reserved for that party may be allotted when it was a recognized national or State party, even if such symbol is not specified in the list of free symbols for such State or Union territory, “Election The Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, also known as the Symbols Order.
According to the symbol order, a political party can be recognized as a national party if it fulfills any of the following conditions: First, it must win at least four or more states in Lok Sabha or Assembly elections. Must get 6% of the votes, and in addition, the Lok Sabha consists of at least four members. Second, it has at least 2% of the total Lok Sabha seats and its candidates come from at least three states. Third, it is recognized as a state party in at least four states.
Currently, there are eight national parties registered with the EC: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, TMC, BSP, CPI, Communist Party of India (Marxist), NCP and National People’s Party (NPP). The national position of Aam Aadmi Party is being reviewed.
