The Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee been granted a national party status by the Election Commission, and the elated party leaders termed it a major boost of the party's image.
"Landed in Rome & got great news.
Trinamool gets national party status.
We started in Bengal 18 years ago and now being blessed by you across India, " West Bengal Chief Minister and party supremo Banerjee tweeted from Rome, where she has gone for Mother Teresa's canonisation programme.
"The national status has been granted to our party by the Election Commission as Trinamool satisfies pre - requisite conditions mentioned in the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 to be recognised as a national party, " a party leader told IANS.
The Trinamool now becomes the seventh recognised national party in the country after the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India - Marxist, and the Nationalist Congress Party.
However, the NCP, BSP and CPI could face some technical issues in keeping the national status, sources said. The Trinamool will be also maintaining the "recognised state party" status in West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
According to EC officials, recognition as a national or a state party ensures that the election symbol of that party is not used by any other political entity in polls across India.
Trinamool leaders see EC recognition as a major boost to the party's image which has won state assembly polls in West Bengal consecutively in 2011 and 2016.
"This is a step forward.
Lately we have been doing well inother states also.
In Tripura with six MLAs joining Trinamool Congress, we have attained opposition party status, " said a party leader, adding in poll - bound Manipur also, the party as five MLAs.
"We will contest seriously in states like Manipur in 2017 and Tripura in 2018, " the party leader said.
Trinamool had earlier made its presence felt even in Arunachal Pradesh when it won five assembly seats in 2009 though it could not win any seat in 2014.
The party had pursued an ambitious roadmap in 2014 Lok Sabha polls too when it contested several seats outside West Bengal including in Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
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