Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued show-cause notices to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Communist Party of India (CPI) regarding withdrawn their national party status .
As per EC above mentioned three political parties are not fulfilling the criteria as per the rules and they cannot continue to enjoy the status of a national party.
2014 General Election vote share of three parties
BSP got 4.1 per cent vote share and it is the third highest after the BJP and the Congress. But it failed to secure a single Lok Sabha seat.
NCP got 1.6 per cent vote share of and won six Lok Sabha seats four from Maharashtra alone.
CPI got 0.8 per cent vote-share and managed to win one seat in the 2014 polls.
These parties are likely to seek personal hearings with the EC and argue their cases in a bid to prevent de-recognition as national parties.
Criteria for a political party to get recognition as a national party
A political party becomes eligible to be recognised as a national party if it fulfils any of the three following conditions:
- The party has won 2 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha (11 seats) from at least three different states in the latest general election.
- In an election to the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party has polled 6 per cent of the total valid votes in at least four states, in addition to winning four Lok Sabha seats.
- A party has got recognition as a state party in at least four states.
Once a political party is recognised as a national party, the question of whether it continues to be recognised as such after subsequent Lok Sabha polls depends on whether it fulfils any of the three conditions.
NOTE- Election Commission Of India is sole constitutional body which recognizes any party as National party or State party depending upon their performance in Lok Sabha elections or State legislative elections.
Important Benefits of being recognised as a national party
- Recognised as a national party means a party is entitled to a reserved symbol for its candidates contesting from across the country. This is critical for political parties since a large section of voters in the country are illiterate and depend on symbols to identify the party they want to vote for. Having a pan-India symbol helps parties reach out to prospective voters.
- Candidates from a national party require only one proposer to file their nominations and are entitled to two sets of electoral rolls free of cost.
- National parties get dedicated broadcast slots on public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio during the general elections.
- Further, political parties are entitled to nominate ‘star campaigners’ during general elections.
- A national party can have a maximum of 40 ‘star campaigners’ while a registered unrecognised party can nominate a maximum of 20 ‘star campaigners’, whose travel expenses are not accounted for in the election expense accounts of candidates.
During 2014 Lok Sabha elections six political parties contested as national parties
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Indian National Congress (INC).
- Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM).
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
- Communist Party of India (CPI).
- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
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