The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been named a national party, with Arvind Kejriwal calling it a “miracle”, based on its electoral performance in four states. The party is currently in power in two states. Other parties, including Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool, have been downgraded to regional parties.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, has been granted national party status by India’s Election Commission, reports NDTV. AAP grew out of the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement in 2012 and is currently in power in Delhi and Punjab. For a political party to be recognised as a national party, it has to be a recognised state-level party in four or more states, or it must have won 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha. In India’s multi-party system, there are currently six national parties – Congress, BJP, CPM, Bahujan Samaj Party, National People’s Party (NPP) and the AAP. Party leader Kejriwal referred to the elevation to national status as “nothing less than a miracle”.