EC order gives hopes to CPI(M)

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 2. The Election Commission today amended the election symbols order modifying the criteria for recognition as National and State parties, therefore opening the possibility for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to regain its national party status.

The Commission decided that from now on, a political party shall be eligible to be recognised as a national party if it secures at least six per cent of valid votes polled in any four or more States at the general elections to the Lok Sabha or to the Legislative Assembly and in addition win at least four seats in the House of the People from any State or States.

The other criteria was that a political party wins at least two per cent in the House of the People from at least three different States. It clarified there should be a minimum of 11 MPs among the 543-directly elected representatives, thereby giving weightage to party presence in the Lok Sabha.

For recognition as a State party it would now require securing six per cent of valid votes polled in the State at a general election either to the House of the People or to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned and also two seats in the Assembly of the State concerned. The other criteria was that the party could win at least three per cent of the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State or at least three seats in the Assembly, whichever is more.

The Commission said the amendment has infused five principles which in its view should govern the polity in the country, situated as it is in its present state. One, that legislative presence was a must for recognition as a National or State party, second for a national party, presence in the Lok Sabha and for a State party in the Assembly, third, that in any election a party can set up a candidate only from amongst its own members, fourth was to grant six years time to a party that loses its recognition to retain the symbol and finally, that recognition be given only on the basis of own performance in elections and not because it is a splinter group of some other recognised party.

Interestingly, the six-year relaxation would help nine parties retain their symbols. It includes the Lok Shakti, the Republican Party of India, the United Minorities Front, the NTR Telugu Desam of Ms. Lakshmi Parvati, the Samajwadi Janata Party

(Rashtriya) of Mr. Chandra Shekhar, the Haryana Vikas Party of

Mr. Bansi Lal, the Nagaland People's Council, the Janata Party and the Panthers Party.

The revised criteria for recognition shall not be applied to the detriment of any of the existing recognised five national and 45 state parties, the Commission said adding that the current status under the pre-revised criteria shall continue till it is modified after any future general elections to the House of the People or State Legislative assemblies.

Addressing a news conference the Chief Election Commissioner, Dr. M.S. Gill, said the idea was to ``simplify, straighten and liberalise'' the order. The Commission was not to look for ways to hurt the political parties but promote democracy, he added.

Asked if the CPI(M) would qualify for being recognised as a national party under the revised criteria, Dr. Gill said while he did not wish to discuss specific cases, the Commission would examine judicially any application to it after the amendment.

The CPI(M), which despite 33 MPs in the Lok Sabha was derecognised as a national party after the last general elections, today welcomed the order stating the criteria was ``more realistic and takes into account the changed political

situation''. The Samata Party also said the order was a ``good step in the right direction''.

CPI(M) hails decision

NEW DELHI, DEC. 2 . CPI(M), which lost its national party status recently, today welcomed Election Commission's (EC) decision to modify the rules for recognising national status of political parties, saying the new criteria were more ``realistic''.

``The new criteria prescribed by the Commission takes into account the representation and strength of parties in the Lok Sabha. It is more realistic and takes into account the changed political situation,'' the CPI(M) politburo said in a statement here.

The EC made significant amendments liberalising the election symbols order recognising parties as ``National'' and ``State'' which may retrieve the national party status to the CPI(M).

- PTI

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