News agency ANI reported that Trinamool Congress has now become the country’s seventh national level political party.
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The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has been recognised as a national party by the Election Commission of India. “The national party status and Mamata Banerjee’s victory in Singur will give us an edge”, senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy told PTI.
The TMC was recognised after it fulfilled all the conditions laid down by the Election Commission.
At present, the Congress, BJP, BSP, NCP, CPI and CPM are recognised as national parties.
The EC recently stated that for a political party to attain the status of a national party, it has to win 2% of Lok Sabha seats (11) from at least three different states in the latest general election. Its new status as a “national” party entitles Trinamool Congress to use its reserved symbol – “flower and grass” – to contest assembly and Lok Sabha polls anywhere in the country. Or it must be recognised as a state party in at least four states. TMC met the last condition to qualify for the status. Also, it will get exclusive privileges available to national parties, including free airtime on state media for election campaigning and exemption of air travel expenses of up to 40 star campaigners from being billed to the candidate. But the amendment now requires all state parties to meet this criterion every 10 years, instead of five years.
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The party, apart from West Bengal, has presence in Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
