New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court on Thursday over alleged delay in getting national status for the party, news agency ANI reported.
“Aam Aadmi Party fulfils all the conditions of becoming a national party, but despite this, there is a delay in getting the status,” the petition filed by AAP reads.
Earlier last week, the party had demanded that the Election Commission recognise it as a national party "immediately" and ensure that it gets all the “facilities” during the Karnataka Assembly elections a national party is entitled to.
"The Election Commission announced the schedule for Karnataka elections today but we have a grievance with it," AAP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sanjay Singh said at a press conference last Wednesday.
"Election Commission has not officially given national party status to AAP despite the party ruling Delhi and Punjab and has two MLAs with over 6 per cent vote share in Goa. The party also has five MLAs in Gujarat where it secured about 14 per cent vote share in the assembly polls last year,” Singh added.
The Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson further claimed that the Election Commission had assured him at an all-party meeting that a decision will be taken on AAP's request soon.
"At the meeting, I asked in the presence of the chief election commissioner when we will have national party status. He said a decision was going to be taken very soon and that AAP will be given national party status,” he said, adding, "The Election Commission should have taken a decision on its own. There was no need to file any application in this regard but we did and it is pending with the Election Commission.”