Political parties of India

{{IndianPolitics}}
Unlike the USA and the UK, India adopted the multi-party system.

Every party in India has to register with the {{wpl|Election Commission|Election Commission of India|.}} It offers some special facilities to the large and already established parties. Such parties are called 'recognised political parties' and they are given a unique symbol which can only be used by the official candidates of that part. There are 2858 registered parties, but only a handful of them are officially recognised.

This article will only list the political parties recognised by the Electoral Commission.

==National parties==
[[File:Inside Indian Parliament.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The Indian parliament.]]
The criteria put forward by the Election Commission in order to be recognised as a national party are:-
*at least 6% of the total votes in Lok Sabha or Assembly elections in 4 (or more) states
*at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha

According to this classification there were 7 recognised national parties in 2018

<!--https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/paint-it-saffron-the-colors-of-indian-political-parties/-->

====[[Bharatiya Janata Party|Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)]]====
{|
|[[File:BJP flag.svg|left|100px|]]
||
:'''Political position''': [[Conservatism]], [[Hindutva]], {{wpl|Integral humanism (India)|Integral Humanism|,}} [[Right-wing]] [[populism]]
:'''Color''': <span style="color:#FF9933;">■ Saffron</span>
:'''Alliance''': NDA
:'''Description''': Founded in 1980 by reviving the retired ''{{wpl|Bharatiya Jana Sangh}}'', formed by {{wpl|Syama Prasad Mukherjee}} in 1951. Takes inspiration from India's ancient culture and {{wpl|Deendayal Upadhyaya||'s}} ideas of integral humanism and ''Antyodaya''. It has close links to the much older [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)]] party.
|}

====Indian National Congress (INC)====
{|
|[[File:INC Flag Official.jpg|left|100px|]]
||
:'''Political position''': [[Centrism]], [[Secularism]]
:'''Color''': <span style="color:#4099CF;">■ Sky blue</span> (customary)
:'''Alliance''': INDIA
:'''Description''': Founded in 1885, it is one of the oldest political parties of the world. It played a dominant role during pre- and post-Independent India under the leadership of {{wpl|Jawaharlal Nehru||,}} but appears to be increasingly irrelevant today.<ref>https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-congress-went-from-388-seats-to-2-seats-in-uttar-pradesh/articleshow/89640246.cms</ref> It suffers from the dynastic politics of the Gandhi family, who control the party even today.
|}

====Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)====
{|
|[[File:Flag of Nationalist Congress Party.svg|left|100px|]]
||
:'''Political position''': {{wpl|Gandhism}}
:'''Color''': <span style="color:#00B2B2F;">■ Pacific Blue</span>
:'''Alliance''': NDA
:'''Description''': Formed in 1999 after a split in the Congress party.
|}
<!--====All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)====-->

====Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)====
{|
|[[File:Elephant Bahujan Samaj Party.svg|left|100px|]]
||
:'''Political position''': [[Social justice]], [[Secularism]]
:'''Color''': <span style="color:#22409a;">■ Blue</span>
:'''Alliance''': 
:'''Description''': Formed in 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. Seeks to represent and secure power for the marginalised ''bahujan samaj'' including ''dalits'', ''adivasis'', OBCs and religious minorities. Draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of social reformers such as [[Ambedkar]], {{wpl|Periyar||,}} {{wpl|Jyotirao Phule|Phule|}} etc.
|}

<!--===Communist Party of India (CPI)====
====Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)====-->

==State parties==
The criteria put forward by the Election Commission in order to be recognised as a national party are:-
*at least 6% vote in the state Legislative Assembly
*at least 2 seats in the Legislative Assembly

Some of these parties are actually all-India parties but have only succeeded in some states, like the Samajwadi Party and Janta Dal have national level political organisation. Some parties are conscious about their state identity.

====Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)====
{|
|[[File:Aam Aadmi Party logo (English).svg|left|100px|]]
||
:'''Political position''': [[Centrism]], [[Populism]],<ref>https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2014/01/15/the-populist-politics-of-the-aam-aadmi-party/</ref> No-core-ideology{{efn|{{cquote|Ideology ''se pet nahin bharta''. (Ideology does not satisfy us) We are ''aam aadmi''s. (We are common men) If we find our solution in the left we are happy to borrow it from there. If we find our solution in the right, we are happy to borrow it from there.|||Arvind Kejriwal<ref>https://www.firstpost.com/politics/arvind-kejriwal-is-not-an-angry-man-or-a-socialist-858861.html</ref>}}}}
:'''Color''': <span style="color:#0071ae;">■ Blue</span>
:'''Alliance''': INDIA
:'''Description''': Founded in 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal after the popular {{wpl|2011 Indian anti-corruption movement}}} also led by him. Predominant in Delhi, India's capital, though it is close to becoming a national party after winning in Punjab and having influence in Goa and Chandigarh as well.
|}

==Alliances==
Until BJP's arrival in 2014, no national party has ever been able to get a majority in the Lok Sabha. Hence, they are compelled to form alliances with numerous state parties.

====National Democratic Alliance (NDA)====
:'''Members''': BJP

====Left Front====
:'''Members''': CPI, CPI-M

<!--==Other parties==
funi names-->

==External links==
* https://eci.gov.in/

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Lists of political parties]]
[[Category:Indian politics]]

Categories: Lists of political parties, Indian politics