Election Commission of India tags BRS as regional party

Hyderabad: In a significant move, the Election Commission of India declared that BRS would continue to be a regional party in Telangana. It said it does not have state party status in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as it did not meet the norms and conditions prescribed by the EC.

The EC pointed out that the BRS did not contest in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 2019 in Andhra Pradesh. Hence, the poll performance of the party did not match any of the criteria laid down for recognition as a state party in Andhra Pradesh. The BRS party leadership also did not appear before the commission to clear the issues raised by the EC in a letter sent to the party high command, EC added.

This comes as a setback for the BRS which wanted to foray into AP politics by contesting Assembly seats in the next elections.

Though there is no bar from contesting, it will not be able to use the car symbol there. EC's decision would also affect the BRS prospects to contest in the local body elections in Maharashtra. BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao had recently announced that they would contest the local body elections. Here too they will have to opt for a free symbol.

The Election Commission recognised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a national party and withdrew the national party status of the All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI). In an order issued on Monday, the Commission also revoked the state party status granted to RLD in Uttar Pradesh, BRS in Andhra Pradesh, PDA in Manipur, PMK in Puducherry, RSP in West Bengal and MPC in Mizoram.

The Commission said AAP has been named as a national party based on its electoral performance in four states -- Delhi, Goa, Punjab and Gujarat. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is in power in Delhi and Punjab. AAP would now for the first-time contest polls in Karnataka in its capacity as a national party.

The BJP, Congress, CPI(M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People's Party (NPP) and the AAP are now national parties.