Gujarat Election Result 2022: AAP becomes a national party

Arvind-Kejriwal

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has become a national party, 10 years after it was formed, as it has won Five seats in Gujarat with a 12.9 percent vote share.

Currently, there are eight recognised national parties in India — BJP, Congress, BSP, CPI, CPM, All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, and National Peoples’ party headed by Conrad Sangma.

According to the Election Commission, a registered party is categorised as a national party if it fulfills any one of three conditions — it must win 2 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha from at least three different states or in a general election or assembly polls, it gets at least 6 percent of votes in four or more states and in addition, wins four Lok Sabha seats, or gets recognised as a state party in four or more states.

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The AAP has already formed governments in Delhi and Punjab. It also got 6.77 percent of the votes and two seats in the Goa assembly elections earlier this year. Thus, all it needs to be recognised as a national party is to win two seats and secure 6 percent of votes in one of the two states whose results are being declared — it is on course to do that in Gujarat.

With these results, AAP “establishes itself as a clear number 3 party in India,” said political analyst and Moneycontrol columnist Amitabh Tiwari. “It is not a regional party and so not bound by state boundaries, unlike a TMC or TRS.”

Also see: Gujarat Election Results: Celebrations begin at BJP office as early trends suggest the saffron sweep

A recognised national party enjoys privileges like a reserved party symbol, free broadcast time on state-run television and radio, consultation in the setting of election dates, and offering inputs in setting electoral rules and regulations.

The Arvind-Kejriwal-led party has gained a foothold in BJP-ruled Gujarat after it won 27 seats in the 2021 Surat Municipal Corporation elections. The Congress, which had 36 councilors, lost all the seats in the civic body election. Currently, the BJP is on course to win 159 out of 182 seats in Gujarat and retain power for a record seventh term.

In expansion mode, AAP is eyeing most of the states going to polls in 2023. That includes Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and BJP-run Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

“It will be targeting states where the BJP and Congress are in a direct fight and there is less clutter. It has the potential to fill in the opposition vacuum at the national level,” said Tiwari.

But for any meaningful national foray, a foothold in the Hindi belt is crucial. Yashwant Sinha, former Union minister, told Moneycontrol, “India is a big country and there is a mountain to climb. By winning in two small states and some presence elsewhere, it would be incorrect to assume a larger footprint for AAP, even though its performance has been commendable where it has come to power, virtually out of nowhere."