NEW DELHI, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has recognized the National People's Party (NPP) from the northeastern state of Meghalaya as a national political party, taking the total number of national political parties in India to eight.
In an official order, the ECI said "The NPP has fulfilled the eligibility condition for being recognized as a national party as laid down in Paragraph 6B (iii). As per the party's request, the symbol 'book' has been allotted to it."
Led by Conrad K. Sangma, the NPP, which is in power in Meghalaya, becomes the first political party from the country's northeast region to receive the national political party status.
With this, the NPP becomes the eighth national party in India. The seven other recognized national parties in India are the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
Sangma tweeted "It is a very nostalgic moment for all of us that the party founded by late Purno Agitok Sangma has achieved its due recognition. It is not just an achievement for NPP but for the people of Northeast for their overwhelming support and thrust bestowed on the party."
As per the data released by the ECI in March this year, just ahead of the general elections, there were nearly 2,293 political parties in India, including seven recognized national parties and 59 recognized state parties.
