TMC exploring legal options to challenge EC’s decision of withdrawing national party status: Sources

The Trinamool Congress is exploring legal options to challenge the Election Commission’s decision to withdraw the national party status of the TMC, sources said on Monday.

This comes after the EC, in a significant decision, withdrew the national party status from All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Communist Party of India (CPI). It granted the national party status to Aam Aadmi Party.

Speaking to ANI, TMC MP Saugata Roy said, “Trinamool Congress has overcome many obstacles; we will overcome this too. We will continue to do what we must, and it will not make any difference.”

In other decisions, the poll panel recognised Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) as a state party in Nagaland and Tipra Motha Party as a state party in Tripura.

The poll panel also withdrew the state party status of Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh and of Revolutionary Socialist Party in West Bengal. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has been derecognised as a state party in Andhra Pradesh.

The Voice of the People Party got recognition as a state party in Meghalaya.

Tipra Motha Party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Voice of the People Party got recognition as state parties based on their recent performance in the assembly polls earlier this year in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, respectively.

AAP rules Delhi and Punjab. Apart from Delhi and Punjab, it got national party status based on its performance in Gujarat and Goa. It is a recognised state party in Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat and Goa.

AAP has been looking for a national footprint and has contested polls in several states.