EC to recognise Aam Aadmi Party as State party in Delhi

With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) winning over 28 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, the Election Commission is all set to recognise it as a ‘State party.’

The party registered as a political party by the Commission only in March this year.

Informed sources said the Commission would write a letter to the AAP in this regard after all the results are declared and the election process is over.

To get recognition as a State party, all the candidates set up by the party together should get a minimum of eight per cent of the valid votes polled in the entire State or secure a minimum of six per cent of the total votes polled and one Assembly seat for every 25 seats in that State.

The AAP, which was allotted “broomstick” as the election symbol by the Commission from among the common symbols following a request in this regard from AAP, will now have the choice of retaining “broomstick” as its permanent election symbol or it can design its own poll symbol provided it fits within the rules and regulations of the Commission. That concession of choosing a common symbol for all the AAP candidates in Delhi was given by the Commission as a one time gesture.

EC recognition will entail the parties to participate in the all-party meetings convened by the EC/the State/Central governments, get a permanent common symbol for all their contestants, privilege to address the voters through the All India Radio and Doordarshan during poll.

If a political party is recognised as a “State Party” in four or more States then it will automatically become a national party.

Recognition is given only based on the poll results of Assembly/Lok Sabha general elections and by-elections are not taken into account for considering this. A party, which is recognised as a State or National party, loses its recognition if it performs poorly in the subsequent polls.

Mr. Kejriwal, a former member of India Against Corrpution (IAC) movement, founded by Anna Hazare, launced AAP on November 26, 2012, after he fell out with the latter. AAP has a 23-member national executive committee and Mr. Kejriwal is its national convenor.