The Nationalist Congress Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India face the prospect of losing their national party status following their performance in the Lok Sabha elections with the Election Commission on Thursday, 18 July, issuing them a show cause notice.
The Commission has asked them to explain why their national party status should not be revoked, sources said.
They have been asked to respond to the notice by 5 August.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the NCP had won six seats. This time it won five. It also did not do well in the Maharashtra assembly polls.
Similarly, the TMC won 34 seats in 2014 LS polls and managed 22 this time.
The CPI won two in this election and one in 2014. But its performance in West Bengal and other states in assembly polls was dismal.
However, they got a reprieve when in 2016 the EC amended its rules, whereby national and state party status of political parties are to be reviewed every ten years instead of five.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which won 10 Lok Sabha and some assembly seats, does not face the possibility of losing its national party status now.
It also should have at least two per cent of the total Lok Sabha seats and its candidates come from not less than three states. As of now, TMC, BJP, BSP, CPI, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress (INC), NCP and National People's Party of Meghalaya have national party status.
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