India has the largest democracy in the world and it is made strong by the presence of multiple political parties in the country. Multiple political parties in a country are important to keep check on the progress of the party in power or to ask questions in case they are not fulfilling their promise to the general people.
According to the Electoral Commission of India, there are more than 2500 political parties in India. Some of these parties are recognized while most other are unrecognized.
All Political Parties in India 2024 List
In India there are more than 2500 political parties, most of which are unrecognized. There are around 60 recognized parties from which 8 qualify as national political party while 52 others are registered as state political party. Keep reading to know more about these national and state political parties in India in 2024
List of National Political Parties in India
There are a total of 8 national political parties in India and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the party in center. Any party that wins 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha from at least 3 different States can qualify as national party. Additionally, if a party polls 6% of votes in four States at a General Election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, secure 4 Lok Sabha seats and is recognized as a State Party in four or more States, it can be registered as a national party.
Check list of all Presidents of Indian National Congress
The table provides the list of all National Political Parties in India along with their symbol and the date of establishment.
| Parties | Symbol | Date of establishment |
| Indian National Congress (INC) | Hand | 28 December 1885 |
| Communist Party of India (CPI) | Ears of Corn & Sickle | 26 December 1925 |
| Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) | Hammer, Sickle & Star | 7 November 1964 |
| Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) | Lotus | 6 April 1980 |
| Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) | Elephant | 14 April 1984 |
| All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) | Flower & Grass | 1 January 1998 |
| Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) | Clock | 10 June 1999 |
| National People’s Party (NPP) | Analogue alarm clock | 6 January 2013 |
State Political Parties in India Full List
Other than the 8 major national political parties, there are more than 50 state parties in India too. To be eligible to qualify as state political party, a party need to win at least 3% of the total or 3 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Political party that wins minimum 1 seat for every 25 seats in the Lok Sabha (or any other fraction allotted to that State) or secures at least 6% of total votes in the general election to a Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly (with at least 1 Lok Sabha and 2 Legislative Assembly wins) are eligible too.
The table provides the list of all State Political Parties in India along with their states and year of establishment.
| Party | State | Year of establishment |
| Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) | Punjab | 1920 |
| All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) | Telangana | 1927 |
| Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) | Jammu & Kashmir | 1932 |
| All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) | West Bengal | 1939 |
| Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) | Kerala, West Bengal | 1940 |
| Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) | Kerala | 1948 |
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) | Puducherry, Tamil Nadu | 1949 |
| Mizo National Front (MNF) | Mizoram | 1959 |
| Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) | Goa | 1963 |
| Shiv Sena (SS) | Maharashtra | 1966 |
| Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) | Meghalaya | 1968 |
| Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) | Mizoram | 1972 |
| United Democratic Party (UDP) | Meghalaya | 1972 |
| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) | Puducherry, Tamil Nadu | 1972 |
| Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) | Jharkhand | 1972 |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI (ML)L) | Bihar | 1974 |
| People’s Party of Arunachal (PDA) | Arunachal Pradesh | 1977 |
| Kerala Congress (M) (KC(M)) | Kerala | 1979 |
| Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) | Jammu & Kashmir | 1982 |
| Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) | Assam | 1985 |
| Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) | Assam | 1985 |
| All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) | Jharkhand | 1986 |
| Telugu Desam Party (TDP) | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | 1982 |
| Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) | Puducherry, Tamil Nadu | 1989 |
| Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) (SJP) | Uttar Pradesh | 1990 |
| Samajwadi Party (SP) | Uttar Pradesh | 1992 |
| Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) | Sikkim | 1993 |
| Zoram Nationalist Part (ZNP) | Mizoram | 1997 |
| Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) | Bihar, Jharkhand | 1997 |
| Biju Janata Dal (BJD) | Odisha | 1997 |
| Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP) | Jammu & Kashmir | 1998 |
| Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) | Haryana | 1999 |
| Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) | Karnataka, Kerala | 1999 |
| Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) | Bihar | 1999 |
| Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) | Bihar | 2000 |
| Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) | Telangana | 2001 |
| Naga People’s Front (NPF) | Manipur, Nagaland | 2002 |
| All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) | Assam | 2004 |
| Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK) | Tamil Nadu | 2005 |
| Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) | Maharashtra | 2006 |
| Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) | Tripura | 2009 |
| YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | 2011 |
| All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) | Puducherry | 2011 |
| Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) | Delhi, Punjab | 2012 |
| Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) | Sikkim | 2013 |
| United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) | Assam | 2015 |
| Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) | Chhattisgarh | 2016 |
| Goa Forward Party (GFP) | Goa | 2016 |
| Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) | Nagaland | 2017 |
| People’s Democratic Front (PDF) | Meghalaya | 2017 |
| Jan Nayak Janta Party (JJP) | Haryana | 2018 |
| Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) | Rajasthan | 2020 |
Note: A party that fails to win any seat in a general election to the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly of the State, it can still be identified as State Party if it secures a minimum of 8% of the total votes.
FAQs
Political parties that wish to contest local, state or national elections are required to be registered with the Election Commission of India (EC).
According to Election Commission of India, there are 8 national parties, 52 state parties and 2796 unrecognized parties in India.
The number/ status of national, state and regional parties increases or decreases on the basis of their performance in the elections.
