List of All Political Parties in India: (National and State)

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.

PartiesSymbolDate of establishment
Indian National Congress (INC)Hand28 December 1885
Communist Party of India (CPI)Ears of Corn & Sickle26 December 1925
Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M)Hammer, Sickle & Star7 November 1964
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)Lotus6 April 1980
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)Elephant14 April 1984
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)Flower & Grass1 January 1998
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)Clock10 June 1999
National People’s Party (NPP) Analogue alarm clock6 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.

PartyStateYear of establishment
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)Punjab1920
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)Telangana1927
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC)Jammu & Kashmir1932
All India Forward Bloc (AIFB)West Bengal1939
Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)Kerala, West Bengal1940
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)Kerala1948
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)Puducherry, Tamil Nadu1949
Mizo National Front (MNF)Mizoram1959
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)Goa1963
Shiv Sena (SS)Maharashtra1966
Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP)Meghalaya1968
Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC)Mizoram1972
United Democratic Party (UDP)Meghalaya1972
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)Puducherry, Tamil Nadu1972
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)Jharkhand1972
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI (ML)L)Bihar1974
People’s Party of Arunachal (PDA)Arunachal Pradesh1977
Kerala Congress (M) (KC(M))Kerala1979
Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP)Jammu & Kashmir1982
Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)Assam1985
Bodoland People’s Front (BPF)Assam1985
All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU)Jharkhand1986
Telugu Desam Party (TDP)Andhra Pradesh, Telangana1982
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)Puducherry, Tamil Nadu1989
Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) (SJP)Uttar Pradesh1990
Samajwadi Party (SP)Uttar Pradesh1992
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)Sikkim1993
Zoram Nationalist Part (ZNP)Mizoram1997
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)Bihar, Jharkhand1997
Biju Janata Dal (BJD)Odisha1997
Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP)Jammu & Kashmir1998
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)Haryana1999
Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S))Karnataka, Kerala1999
Janata Dal (United) (JD(U))Bihar1999
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)Bihar2000
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)Telangana2001
Naga People’s Front (NPF)Manipur, Nagaland2002
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF)Assam2004
Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK)Tamil Nadu2005
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)Maharashtra2006
Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT)Tripura2009
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP)Andhra Pradesh, Telangana2011
All India N.R. Congress (AINRC)Puducherry2011
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)Delhi, Punjab2012
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM)Sikkim2013
United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL)Assam2015
Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC)Chhattisgarh2016
Goa Forward Party (GFP)Goa2016
Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)Nagaland2017
People’s Democratic Front (PDF)Meghalaya2017
Jan Nayak Janta Party (JJP)Haryana2018
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP)Rajasthan2020

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

Can any political party contest in elections?

Political parties that wish to contest local, state or national elections are required to be registered with the Election Commission of India (EC).

How many political parties are there in India?

According to Election Commission of India, there are 8 national parties, 52 state parties and 2796 unrecognized parties in India.

How is the status of any political party defined?

The number/ status of national, state and regional parties increases or decreases on the basis of their performance in the elections.

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