The Election Commission of India on Friday declared the National People’s Party led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma as a national party.
This made the NPP, formed by his father and former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma in 2013, the first from the north-eastern region to earn the tag.
Four States
In its order, the ECI said that the NPP was given the national party status for fulfilling conditions such as polling more than 6% of the total votes in the last general election and being recognised as a State party in at least four States.
The NPP is recognised as a State party in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
“Glad to announce to our party supporters, well-wishers and members of NPP that #ElectionCommissionOfIndia has accorded ‘National Party’ status to National People’s Party,” the Meghalaya Chief Minister said in a Twitter message. “It is a very nostalgic moment for all of us,” he said in Meghalaya capital Shillong. The NPP is the single largest political family in Meghalaya with 21 MLAs in the 60-member House. Mr Sangma heads the coalition government there.
The party has five MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh and four in Manipur. It had two MLAs in Nagaland until they merged with the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party earlier this year.
Before NPP’s elevation, India had seven national parties. Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, became the seventh in September 2016.
