NATIONAL PARTY
1. Context
2. National Party
- The name suggests that a national party would have a presence 'nationally', as opposed to a regional party whose presence is restricted to only a particular state or region.
- National parties are usually India's bigger parties, such as the Congress and BJP. However, some smaller parties, like the communist parties, are also recognized as national parties. A certain stature is sometimes associated with being a national party, but this does not necessarily translate into having a lot of national political clout.
- Some parties, despite being dominant in a major state-such as the DMK in Tamil Nadu, BJD in Odisha, YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, RJD in Bihar, and TRS in Telengana-and having a major say in national affairs, remain regional parties.
3. How is a national Party Defined?
- It is recognized in four or more states: or
- If its candidates polled at least 6% of total valid votes in any four or more states in the last Lok Sabha or Assembly elections and have at least four MPs in the last Lok Sabha polls: or
- If it has won at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from not less than three states.
3.1 To be recognized as a state party, a party needs:
- At least 6% vote-share in the last Assembly election and have at least 2 MLA's; or have 6% vote-share in the last Lok sabha elections from that state and at least one MP from that state; or
- at least 3% of the total number of seats or three seats, whichever is more, in the last assembly elections; or
- at least one MP for every 25 members or any fraction allotted to the state in the Lok Sabha; or
- Have at least 8 % of the total valid votes in the last Assembly election or Lok Sabha election from the state.
4. Other National Parties
5. When can a party lose its tag?
- Once recognized as a national or state party, a political party retains that status irrespective of its performance in the next elections.
- It loses the given status only if it fails to fulfill any of the conditions for two successive Assembly and two successive Lok Sabha elections.
For Prelims
For Prelims: National Party, Election Commission of India (ECI), the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPI(M), CPI, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bahujan samaj party (BSP), and Conrad Sangma's National People's Party (NPP).
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