List of political parties in India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

India has a multi-party system. The Election Commission of India (ECI) accords recognition to the national level and the state level political parties based upon objective criteria. A recognised political party enjoys privileges like a reserved party symbol,[a] free broadcast time on state-run television and radio, consultation in the setting of election dates, and giving input in setting electoral rules and regulations. Other political parties that wish to contest local, state or national elections are required to be registered by the Election Commission of India. Registered Parties are upgraded as recognised National Party or State Party by the ECI if they meet the relevant criteria after a Lok Sabha or State legislative assembly election. The Recognised Party status is reviewed periodically by the ECI.

Before the amendment in 2016 (came into force with effect from 1 January 2014), if a political party failed to fulfill the criteria in the subsequent Lok Sabha or state legislative assembly election, they lost their status as a recognised Party. In 2016, the ECI announced that such a review would take place after two consecutive elections instead of every election. Therefore, a political party shall retain the recognised Party status even if they do not meet the criteria in the next election. However, if they fail to meet the criteria in the subsequent election following the next election, they would lose their status.

As per latest publication dated 23 September 2021 from Election Commission of India, the total number of parties registered was 2858, with 8 national parties, 54 state parties and 2796 unrecognised parties.[3] All registered parties contesting elections need to choose a symbol from a list of available symbols offered by the EC. All 28 states of the country along with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry have elected governments unless President’s rule is imposed under certain condition.

National parties[edit]

A registered party is recognised as a national party only if it fulfils any one of the three conditions listed below:[4]

  • The party win 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha from at least three different states.
  • At a general election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party polls 6% of votes in any four or more states and in addition it wins four Lok Sabha seats.
  • The party gets recognition as a state party in four states.

Parties with national party status pending[edit]

Aam Aadmi Party has fulfilled the criteria for being a national party in December 2022.[5][6] Granting of national party status to AAP is under review.[7][8]

State parties[edit]

A registered party is recognised as a state party only if it fulfils any one of the five conditions listed below:[4]

  • A party should secure at least 6% of valid votes polled in an election to the state legislative assembly and win at least 2 seats in that state assembly.
  • A party should secure at least 6% of valid votes polled in an election to Lok Sabha and win at least 1 seat in Lok Sabha.
  • A party should win at least 3% of the total number of seats or a minimum of three seats in the Legislative Assembly, which ever is higher.
  • A party should win at least one seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to that State.
  • Under the liberalised criteria, one more clause that it will be eligible for recognition as state party if it secures 8% or more of the total valid votes polled in the state.
52 recognised state parties[3]
Party Flag Election
symbol
Political
position
Ideology Founded Leader(s) State(s) States
governed
Seats
Lok Sabha Rajya Sabha State
Assemblies
State
Councils
State Party in 3 States
Janata Dal (Secular) Indian election symbol female farmer.svg Centre-left to left-wing Secularism 1999 H. D. Deve Gowda Arunachal Pradesh
Karnataka
Kerala
Janata Dal (United) Janata Dal (United) Flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Arrow.svg Centre-left Socialism[9]
Secularism[9]
Integral humanism
2003 Nitish Kumar Arunachal Pradesh
Bihar
Manipur
State Party in 2 States
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam AIADMK Official Flag.png Two Leaves Centre-left Populism
Socialism
Secularism
Dravidianism
Tamil nationalism[10][11]
1972 Edappadi K. Palaniswami Tamil Nadu
Puducherry
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen logo.svg kite Right-wing[12] Composite nationalism[13]
Minority rights[14]
Dalit Rights[15]
Constitutionalism[16]
1958 Asaduddin Owaisi Telengana
Bihar
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Flag DMK.svg Indian election symbol rising sun.svg Centre-left Social democracy[17]
Dravidianism
Social justice[17]
Federalism
1949 M. K. Stalin Tamil Nadu
Puducherry
Naga People’s Front Flag of the Naga People's Front.png Indian Election Symbol Cock.png Regionalism 2002 Kuzholuzo Nienu Manipur
Nagaland
Rashtriya Janata Dal RJD Flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Hurricane Lamp.png Centre-left Socialism 1997 Lalu Prasad Yadav
Tejashwi Yadav
Bihar
Jharkhand
Revolutionary Socialist Party RSP-flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Spade and Stoker.png Far-left Communism
Marxism–Leninism[18]
Revolutionary socialism
1940 Manoj Bhattacharya[19] Kerala
West Bengal
Telugu Desam Party Telugu Desam Party Flag.png Indian Election Symbol Cycle.png Centre[20] Populism[21]
Economic liberalism[22]
1982 N. Chandrababu Naidu Andhra Pradesh
Telangana
State Party in 1 State
All India Forward Bloc Indian Election Symbol Lion.svg Left-wing Left-wing nationalism
Socialism
Anti-imperialism
Marxism[23]
1939 Debabrata Biswas West Bengal
All India N.R. Congress All India N.R. Congress.png Indian Election Symbol Jug.svg Centre Social democracy
Populism
2011 N. Rangaswamy Puducherry
All India United Democratic Front Indian Election Symbol Lock And Key.svg 2005 Badruddin Ajmal Assam
All Jharkhand Students Union ANSU Party flag.jpg Indian Election Symbol Banana.svg 1986 Sudesh Mahto Jharkhand
Apna Dal (Sonelal) Apna dal Flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Cup and Saucer.jpg Centre-right Kurmis Interest 2016 Anupriya Patel Uttar Pradesh
Asom Gana Parishad Indian Election Symbol Elephant.png Centre-right Regionalism
Anti-Bengali sentiment
1985 Atul Bora Assam
Bharat Rashtra Samithi Flag of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (India Nation Council).png Indian Election Symbol Car.jpg Centre[24] Regionalism[25]
Populism[26]
Conservatism
Separatism
2001 K. Chandrashekar Rao Telangana
Biju Janata Dal Biju Janata Dal Flag.jpg Indian Election Symbol Conch.svg Centre-left Regionalism[27]
Populism
Secularism[27]
Liberalism[28]
Economic nationalism[29]
1997 Naveen Patnaik Odisha
Bodoland People’s Front BPF-Flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Nangol.svg Secularism
Democratic socialism[30]
2005 Hagrama Mohilary Assam
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation CPIML LIBERATION FLAG.png Flag Logo of CPIML.png Far-left Communism[31]
Marxism–Leninism
Maoism[31]
1974 Dipankar Bhattacharya Bihar
Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam flag.PNG Indian Election Symbol Nagara.svg Centre to
centre-left
Social welfare
Populism
Secularism
Social democracy
2005 Vijayakanth Tamil Nadu
Goa Forward Party Goa Forward Party Flag.jpg Indian election symbol Coconut.svg Regionalism 2016 Vijai Sardesai Goa
Hill State People’s Democratic Party Indian Election Symbol Lion.svg 1968 Meghalaya
Indian National Lok Dal Indian National Lok Dal Flag.svg INLD1.svg Centre Social liberalism
Regionalism
1996 Om Prakash Chautala Haryana
Indian Union Muslim League Flag of the Indian Union Muslim League.svg Indian Election Symbol Lader.svg Muslim interests
Social conservatism
1948 Hyderali Shihab Thangal Kerala
Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura Flag green yellow.svg Indian Election symbol Dao.svg Centre-right Regionalism
Ethnic nationalism
Anti-immigration
2009 N.C. Debbarma Tripura
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference JKNC-flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Plough.png Kashmiriyat
Kashmiri autonomy
Secularism
1932 Farooq Abdullah Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party Indian Election Symbol Cycle.png Democracy[32][33]
Anti-corruption[32][33]
Secularism[34]
Women’s rights
1982 Bhim Singh Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party Indian Election Symbol Ink Pot and Pen.png Kashmiriyat
Kashmiri autonomy[35]
Regionalism
1999 Mehbooba Mufti Jammu and Kashmir
Janta Congress Chhattisgarh Indian Election Symbol Farmer Ploughing (within Square).jpg Left-wing Social justice
Feminism
Direct democracy
Agrarianism
2016 Renu Jogi Chhattisgarh
Jannayak Janta Party Indian election symbol Key.svg Democratic socialism 2018 Dushyant Chautala Haryana
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Indian Election Symbol Bow And Arrow.svg 1972 Shibu Soren
Hemant Soren
Jharkhand
Kerala Congress (M) Kerala-Congress-flag.svg Indian election symbol two leaves.svg Welfare[36]
Democratic socialism[37]
1979 Jose K. Mani Kerala
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Indian Election Symbol Bungalow.png 2000 Chirag Paswan Nagaland
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Mns-symbol-railway-engine.png Far-right Hindutva[38]
Right-wing populism[39]
Regionalism[40][41]
Ultranationalism[42][41]
Marathi interests[41]
2006 Raj Thackeray Maharashtra
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party Indian Election Symbol Lion.svg Centre Populism
Regionalism
1963 Deepak Dhavalikar Goa
Mizo National Front Election Symbol Star.svg 1961 Zoramthanga Mizoram
Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party Partyrop.png Indian Election Symbol Crown.png Right Regionalism 2017 Neiphiu Rio Nagaland
Pattali Makkal Katchi Pmk flag.jpg Mango Centre Populism 1989 S. Ramadoss Puducherry
People’s Democratic Alliance Crown 2012 B.D. Behring Manipur
People’s Democratic Front Candle - Election Symbol.png 2017 Ivanlum Marbaniang Meghalaya
People’s Party of Arunachal Indian Election Symbol Maize.svg Regionalism 1977 Kamen Ringu Arunachal Pradesh
Rashtriya Lok Dal Rashtriya Lok Dal Flag new.jpg Indian Election Symbol Hand Pump.png 1996 Jayant Chaudhary Uttar Pradesh
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party Logo Rashtriya Loktantrik party.png Water bottle RLP election symbol.svg 2020 Hanuman Beniwal Rajasthan
Revolutionary Goans Party Regionalism 2022 Viresh Borkar Goa
Samajwadi Party Samajwadi Party Flag.jpg Indian Election Symbol Cycle.png Centre-left[43]
to left[44][45]
Social democracy[46]
Democratic socialism
Left-wing populism[47]
Social conservatism
1992 Akhilesh Yadav Uttar Pradesh
Shiromani Akali Dal SAD flag.svg Shiromani Akali Dal symbol.svg Centre-right Punjabiyat[48][49]
Conservatism[50]
Federalism[51][52]
1920 Sukhbir Singh Badal Punjab
Sikkim Democratic Front Sikkim-Democratic-Front-flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Umberlla.png Centre-left
to left-wing
Democratic socialism 1993 Pawan Kumar Chamling Sikkim
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha Sikkim Krantikari Morcha flag.png Symbol SKM.png Democratic socialism 2013 Prem Singh Tamang Sikkim
Shiv Sena Shiv Sena flag.jpg Indian Election Symbol Bow And Arrow.svg Right-wing to Far-right Marathi
Regionalism
Social Conservatism
Conservatism
Hindutva
Hindu Nationalism
Ultranationalism
Economic Nationalism
Right-wing Populism
1966 Eknath Shinde Maharashtra
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) flag.svg Indian Election Symbol Flaming Torch.png Centre Secular Hindutva
Nationalism
Composite Nationalism
2022 Uddhav Thackeray Maharashtra
Tipra Motha Party Tipra Logo.jpg Indian Election Symbol Pineapple.png Tripuri nationalism
Greater Tipraland
2022 Tripura Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma
United Democratic Party Indian Election Symbol Drums.png Regionalism
Populism
1997 Metbah Lyngdoh Meghalaya
United People’s Party Liberal Tractor Centre Regionalism 2015 Urkhao Gwra Brahma Assam
YSR Congress Party Indian Election Symbol Ceiling Fan.svg Centre-left[53] Populism[21]
Regionalism
2011 Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy Andhra Pradesh
Zoram Nationalist Party Indian Election Symbol Sun without Rays.png 1997 Lalduhoma Mizoram

Unrecognised parties[edit]

See also[edit]

  1. ^ If a party is recognised as a national or state party, its symbol is reserved for its exclusive use in the country or in the state.[1][2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “Names of National State, registered-unrecognised parties and the list of free symbols” (PDF). Election Commission of India. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. ^ “State Party List” (PDF). Election Commission of India. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b c “List of Political Parties & Symbol MAIN Notification”. Election Commission of India. 23 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b “The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968”. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  5. ^ “AAP becomes India’s 9th ‘national party’. www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  6. ^ “After Gujarat results, AAP set for upgrade: What it takes to become a ‘national party’ in India”. The Indian Express. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  7. ^ ‘Under review…’: Election Commission on AAP’s ‘national party’ status”. Hindustan Times. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  8. ^ “Election Commission says looking into AAP’s national status issue”. The Hindu. 29 March 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  9. ^ a b “Lok Sabha Elections 2014: Know your party symbols!”. Daily News and Analysis. 10 April 2014.
  10. ^ Price, P. (1996). Revolution and Rank in Tamil Nationalism. The Journal of Asian Studies, 55(2), 359-383. doi:10.2307/2943363
  11. ^ Pamela Price (1999) Relating to leadership in the Tamil nationalist movement: C.N. Annadurai in person‐centred propaganda, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 22:2, 149-174, doi:10.1080/00856409908723369
  12. ^ “Though BJP and AIMIM are ideologically apart they share a few similarities”.
  13. ^ “Will fight back to save India’s composite culture, Constitution: Asaduddin Owaisi”. 26 May 2019.
  14. ^ “Minority Upliftment”.
  15. ^ “AIMIM eyes minorities and Dalits in Malda”.
  16. ^ “AIMIM want to confront Hindu nationalism with Indian Constitution: Owaisi”. Business Standard India. 8 February 2021.
  17. ^ a b Kannan, Ramya (8 August 2018). “M. Karunanidhi: From health care to community living, his schemes were aimed at social equality”. The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  18. ^ Bidyut Chakrabarty (2014). Communism in India: Events, Processes and Ideologies. Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-19-997489-4.
  19. ^ “Indian citizenship act against humanity: Manoj Bhattacharya”. prothomalo.com.
  20. ^ “Tumultuous transition”. 27 May 2017.
  21. ^ a b “Encyclopedia Britannica”.
  22. ^ Price, Pamela; Srinivas, Dusi (August 2014). Piliavsky, Anastasia (ed.). “Patronage and autonomy in India’s deepening democracy”. Cambridge University Press: 217–236. doi:10.1017/CBO9781107296930.011. ISBN 9781107296930.
  23. ^ “Party constitution”. India: All India Forward Bloc. 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  24. ^ “Centrist polity of TRS”.
  25. ^ Hyderabad, K. VENKATESHWARLU in (23 April 2004). “Regionalism and sub-regionalism”. Frontline. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  26. ^ “One year of Telangana a mixed bag for KCR”. The Tribune. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), led by Chandrasekhar Rao, took over the reins of the new state amid euphoria and high expectations. … Blending boldness with populism, KCR has earned the reputation for being a tough task master
  27. ^ a b “Biju Janata Dal”. Encyclopædia Britannica.
  28. ^ “Lok Sabha Elections 2014: Know your party symbols!”. Daily News and Analysis. 10 April 2014. Founded in December 1997, the Biju Janata Dal or the BJD is a regional political party of India. Having split from the larger faction Janata Dal, the party stands by democracy and liberalism.
  29. ^ Capron, Laurence; Guillén, Mauro (12 October 2006). “Fighting economic nationalism in deals”. Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  30. ^ “IDEOLOGY & FLAG”. India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  31. ^ a b “General Programme of CPI(ML)”. Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) website. 6 April 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  32. ^ a b “History”. JK Panthers Party. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  33. ^ a b PTI (9 November 2010). “SC upholds freeze on delimitation in J&K till 2026”. The Hindu.
  34. ^ “Headlines Today”. Panther party MLAs disrupt house in Jammu and Kashmir assembly. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via youtube.com.
  35. ^ Jammu Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party. “Self Rule”. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  36. ^ “KM Mani: The man behind the ‘Theory of the Toiling Class’. The New Indian Express. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  37. ^ “K M Mani honoured at British Parliament Hall”. The New Indian Express. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  38. ^ “Raj Thackeray goes right ahead with ‘Hindutva’and development agenda for MNS”. CanIndia. 23 January 2020.
  39. ^ Bedi, Tarini (2016). The Dashing Ladies of Shiv Sena. SUNY Press. p. 42.
  40. ^ “Munde still keen on alliance with MNS”. Hindustan Times. 2 March 2011.
  41. ^ a b c “Maharashtra Navnirman Sena”. Election MS. 29 March 2019.
  42. ^ “How Pakistan Fell in Love With Bollywood”. Foreign Policy. 15 March 2010.
  43. ^ Verniers, Gilles (2018). “Conservative in Practice: The Transformation of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh”. Studies in Indian Politics. 6: 44–59. doi:10.1177/2321023018762675. S2CID 158168430.
  44. ^ “Left wing triumphs in Uttar Pradesh election”. Financial Times. 6 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. The big winner in the Uttar Pradesh state election was the regional leftwing Samajwadi party
  45. ^ “Indian MPs held hostage in caste struggle”. The Independent. 21 June 1995.
  46. ^ Singh, Mahendra Prasad; Saxena, Rekha (2003). India at the Polls: Parliamentary Elections in the Federal Phase. Orient Blackswan. p. 78. ISBN 978-8-125-02328-9.
  47. ^ “Mulayam’s son Prateek Yadav attracts eye balls during ride in Rs 5 crore Lamborghini”. Zee News. 14 January 2017.
  48. ^ “SAD aims to widen reach, to contest UP poll”. The Tribune. Chandigarh. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  49. ^ Pandher, Sarabjit (3 September 2013). “In post-Independence India, the SAD launched the Punjabi Suba morcha in the 1960s, seeking the re-organisation of Punjab on linguistic basis”. The Hindu. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  50. ^ Grover, Verinder (1996). Encyclopaedia of India and Her States: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab, Volume 4. Deep & Deep. p. 578.
  51. ^ “Parkash Singh Badal calls for ‘genuinely federal structure’ for country”. The Economic Times. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  52. ^ Bharti, Vishav (6 August 2019). “Article 370: SAD ‘dumps’ its core ideology of federalism”. The Tribune. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  53. ^ “This is how Jagan Reddy has turned into a political juggernaut in Andhra”. 25 September 2021.
  54. ^ “महंगाई व बेरोजगारी के खिलाफ किया प्रदर्शन”. www.livehindustan.com. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  55. ^ “SAMATA PARTY – Official Website”. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  56. ^ “Allotment of Common Symbol -10B letter dt 15.9.15” (PDF). Election Commission of India. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  57. ^ “June 2015 Notification” (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 2. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  58. ^ “Manjhi’s HAM recognised by poll panel”. The Statesman. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2016.

Praty State and State Presidents List

Further reading[edit]