There was a press communique from YSR Congress party late on Friday evening stating that senior party leader and Rajya Sabha member V Vijay Sai Reddy had been appointed as the national general secretary of the party.
It made media persons wonder when YSR Congress party has become a national party. As of now, YSR Congress party never claimed itself to be a national party and its president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy as the national party president nor is there any national executive for the party. There is only a state president and state executive for the party. So, appointing Vijay Sai Reddy as the national general secretary was a little surprising.
As per the Election Commission of India rules, a party gets a national party status only if it secures at least 6 per cent of the valid vote in an Assembly or a Lok Sabha General Election in any four or more states and won at least 4 seats in a Lok Sabha General Election from any State or States. Or it should win at least two per cent of the total Lok Sabha seats in a Lok Sabha general election and these seats have to be won from at least three states. And, above all, the party has to be recognised as state party in at least four states.
As of now, there are only seven national parties in the country: Congress, BJP, CPI, CPI (M), BSP, NCP and Trinamul Congress. Surprisingly, even the TDP claims to be a national party because it has presence in four states – Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar islands and it has won 16 MPs from Telugu states. However, it has not won six per cent of the valid votes in Tamil Nadu and Andaman. Therefore, the EC did not recognise the TDP as a national party!
The YSRC has its presence only in AP and Telangana as per the EC records and so, it has to contest in two other states in the next general elections and win the required percentage of votes so as to get the national party status.
