National party status for AAP

NEW DELHI: A high-decibel and hyper-local poll campaign, hinged to a ‘Delhi model’ riding on the promise of quality education, mohalla clinics, freebies like subsidised electricity and employment opportunities, formed the core of AAP’s outreach in Gujarat.

However, it failed to wean away the masses from the ‘Gujarat model’. What it did do was help AAP, which already had state party status in the three states of Delhi, Punjab and Goa, to become eligible for national party status.

To be recognised as a state party, a political outfits needs to have secured at least 6% of valid votes polled and returned two MLAs. With 12.9% vote share and 5 MLAs, AAP fulfilled that criteria. Recognition in a fourth state, Gujarat, has made AAP eligible for national party status.