Immediately give national party status to AAP: Sanjay to EC

New Delhi: The AAP on Wednesday demanded that the Election Commission recognise it as a national party "immediately" and ensure it gets all the "facilities" during the Karnataka Assembly polls a national party is entitled to. The poll panel said earlier in the day it was looking into the issue of granting national status to the Aam Aadmi Party.

"The Election Commission announced the schedule for Karnataka elections today but we have a grievance with it," AAP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sanjay Singh said at a press conference. He lamented that the poll panel has not yet taken any decision on the matter even after the AAP fulfilled the conditions required to be declared a national party with its performance in Punjab, Gujarat and Goa polls last year. "Election Commission has not officially given national party status to AAP despite the party ruling Delhi and Punjab and has two MLAs with over 6 per cent vote share in Goa. The party also has five MLAs in Gujarat where it secured about 14 per cent vote share in the assembly polls last year," Singh said.

"Even a class 10 student would give you the answer if you ask whether the AAP should get national status or not as per rules," he said, adding, "I don't know what the Election Commission is doing". "I urge the Election Commission to immediately give AAP a national party status and also ensure that we get all facilities in Karnataka polls that any national party is entitled to," Singh said. Singh claimed that the Election Commission had assured him at an all-party meeting that a decision will be taken on AAP's request soon.

"At the meeting, I asked in the presence of the chief election commissioner when we will have national party status. He said a decision was going to be taken very soon and that AAP will be given national party status," Singh claimed. The AAP leader said the party has submitted a request for this to the poll panel even though it was not required. "The Election Commission should have taken a decision on its own. There was no need to file any application in this regard but we did and it is pending with the Election Commission," he added.

The Election Commission on Wednesday said it is looking into the issue of national status to the Aam Aadmi Party. "It is under review... We will soon come back to you," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told a press conference here when asked about the issue. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party's electoral performances last year paved the way for it to be recognised by the Election Commission as a national party. To earn a national party status, a political outfit needs to be recognised as a state party in four states and have at least two members in the respective legislative assemblies, according to the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) order,1968. And in order to become eligible to be recognised as the state party, a political outfit has to win two seats and secures a minimum six per cent votes in the state. There are other criteria also to earn the national party status. The AAP has been recognised as a state party Delhi, Punjab, Goa and Gujarat.