National Party Criteria: Conditions and Benefits

The national party is a registered political party in India, which participates in elections. It is a party that gets something like six percent of the all-out votes in the Lok Sabha election or assembly in four States and wins no less than 2 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha election. Parties recognized as such are given novel symbols which just the authority up-and-comers of that party can utilize. The parties that get these honors and a few other extraordinary offices are recognized by the election commission of India for this reason. For that reason, these parties are called recognized national parties.

Conditions to Become a National Party:

It is not easy to become a national party in India. There are many conditions to be fulfilled to become a national party in India. 
According to the election commission of India, a political party is eligible to be recognized as a national party if it met one of the following conditions. The conditions to become a national party in India are the following:

• The party receives 6% of the vote in any four or more states during a general election for the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, and it also gets four Lok Sabha seats.
• The party ought to win 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha election from a minimum of three distinct states.
• The party gained recognition as a state party in four states.

Recognized National Parties in India:

In India, there are seven recognized national parties. They are the following.

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Indian National Congress (INC)
• All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
• Communist Party of India (CPI)
• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))

Benefits of Getting Recognized as a National Party in India:

• A national party has the right to grant its reserved symbol exclusively to the candidates it has nominated across India. 
• Recognized “National” parties only require one proposer to submit a nomination, and they are also entitled to two free sets of electoral rolls during roll revision, as well as one free electoral roll for each candidate during general elections. 
• These parties receive broadcast and telecasting rights during general elections on Akashvani and Doordarshan. 
• During general elections, political parties are permitted to nominate “Star Campaigners.” A registered unrecognized party may nominate a maximum of 20 “Star Campaigners,” whereas a recognized National or State party may nominate up to 40 “Star Campaigners.”
• Star campaigners travelling expenses are not included in the election expense accounts of the party.
• The government provides land or a building for the National parties to erect their party headquarters.

Conclusion:

The words national party and political party are used interchangeably. But both of them have differences. It is easy to become a political party.  A political party can become a national party only after fulfilling certain conditions. The main aim of every political party is to become a national party and participate in elections. Each national party has its symbol, which differs from the other. Just an association or body of individual residents of India calling itself a political party and expecting to benefit itself from the provisions of Part-IV-A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (connecting with the enlistment of a political party) is expected to get itself enrolled with the election commission of India and become a national party.