RJD, JD-U and Samajwadi party lose national party status - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The Election Commission on Friday derecognised national party status to five parties following their poll performance, which included the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Samajwadi party. The other parties to lose national status are Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Arunachal Congress. "Election Commission sources said on Friday that while the parties may retain their symbol, they would lose facilities like utilising All India Radio and Doordarshan for poll-eve broadcasts and free copies of electoral rolls," The Hindu reports. It has been reported that the Trinamool Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which were also served notices earlier, sought more time to present their case.