In the election commission (EC) acknowledged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party on Monday, giving it a boost ahead of the Lok Sabha elections the following year. 

Based on an evaluation of the parties’ performance in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections as well as 21 state assembly elections since 2014, the EC made its conclusion. Along with other advantages, having the status of a national party guarantees that its candidates across the nation can use its emblem, and it also grants the party access to land for an office in the capital.

What are other parties along with AAP on the list? 

The BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), CPI(M), National People’s Party (NPP), and AAP are the six national parties that currently exist in the nation.

AAP had satisfied the requirement of becoming a recognised state party in four or more states, according to the EC’s order, which was issued in accordance with the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, which outlines the requirements for recognition as a national or state party. A party shall continue to be a national or state party if it meets the requirements in the “next election,” after the one in which it “got recognition,” as per the order’s amended Paragraph 6C, which took effect on January 1, 2014.

What it takes to establish an Indian “national party”?

 In order to qualify as a “national party,” a state party in India must receive at least two MLAs and 6% of the vote in the most recent Assembly election, 6% of the vote in the most recent Lok Sabha election, or 3% of all Assembly seats, whichever is higher.

 A national party must have at least four MPs and receive at least 6% of the vote in four or more states during the most recent Lok Sabha or Assembly elections. It must also hold at least 2% of the seats in the Lok Sabha, with members chosen from at least three states.

AAP became a state party in Gujarat after the 2022 Assembly elections, where it received 12.92% of the vote, in addition to Delhi, Goa, and Punjab where they are already added as a state party.