Complete List of Important Political

Parties in India - GK Notes in PDF for

SSC & Bank Exams
India is the largest democracy in the world and therefore its political system is made
of multitude of factions and political parties. While some of these parties rooted from
the Independence Struggle, some others were born to revolutionize the new age India
and free it from the shackles of Corruption. At the same time, some of the currently
more powerful and politically strong parties raised when the country was going
through a state of emergency! So let's take a look at the chronology, relevance and
importance of the many political parties that India saw rise and fall. Here is the list of
Political Parties in India along with their history and prominent leaders to boost your
preparation of General Awareness section for various banking, SSC, Railway &
Government Exams.

But before we start with the Political System of India, you should know a few terms
associated with politics.

Political Party - Why is it Formed?

"By definition, a Political Party is a group of people who come

together to contest elections."

All parties that desire to contest elections in India have to register themselves with
the Election Commission of India or ECI. Generally, in a political party, you will find
that all party members have a common goal. Such goals are listed down in a political
manifesto.

Now let’s delve into the types of Indian Political Parties one by one.

List of Political Parties in India

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In India, there are mainly 3 types of political parties –
1. National Parties
2. State Recognized Parties
3. Unrecognized Parties

1) Types of Political Parties in India - National Parties

What is a National Party?

A registered party is taken in as a National Party only when it fulfills any of the
following conditions:

• If the party wins 2% of Lok Sabha seats from at least three different states in
India
• If the party is recognized as a state party in four or more states in India
• If the party polls 6% of votes in 4 states in addition to four seats in the Lok
Sabha, at the general election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly.

There are 7 National Parties in India. Have a look at the list of these parties
along with their year of foundation.

Foundation
S.No. Name of Party Abbreviation
year
1. Bharatiya Janata Party BJP 1980
2. Indian National Congress INC 1885
3. Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI-M 1964
4. Communist Party of India CPI 1925
5. Bahujan Samaj Party BSP 1984
6. Nationalist Congress Party NCP 1999
7. All India Trinamool Congress AITC 1998

Given below is the list of the National Political Parties and their leaders.

S.No. Name of Party Leader

1. Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah
2. Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi
3. Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury
 4. Communist Party of India Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy
5. Bahujan Samaj Party Mayawati Prabhu Das
6. Nationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar
7. All India Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee

2) Types of Political Parties in India - State Recognized Parties

What is a State Party?

To be called as a State Political Party, a political party needs to fulfil any of

the following conditions :

• The political party needs to win a minimum of 3% of the total number of seats
in the legislative assembly
• For every 25 seats in the Lok Sabha, the political party must win at least one
seat. Alternatively, it needs to win any fraction there of allotted to that State.
• The political party should win at least 6% of the total valid votes that are
polled during the general election towards the Lok Sabha or State Legislative
Assembly. And, in addition, it should win at least one Lok Sabha seat and two
Legislative Assembly seats in that election.
• As per the liberalized criteria, if a political party fails to win a seat in the State
general elections to the Legislative Assembly of the State or the Lok Sabha,
then, it needs to secure 8% or more of the total valid votes polled in the State.

There are 48 State Recognized Parties in India. Here is a list of all those
political parties.

Foundation
S.No. Name Abbreviation States/UT
Year
1. Aam Aadmi Party AAP 2012 Delhi, Punjab
All India Anna
Puducherry, Tamil
2. Dravida Munnetra AIADMK 1972
Nadu
Kazhagam
All India Forward
3. AIFB 1939 West Bengal
Bloc

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 All India Majlis-e-
4. Ittehadul AIMIM 1927 Telangana
Muslimeen
All India N.R.
5. AINRC 2011 Puducherry
Congress
All India United
6. AIUDF 2004 Assam
Democratic Front
All Jharkhand
7. AJSU 1986 Jharkhand
Students Union
Asom Gana
8. AGP 1985 Assam
Parishad
9. Biju Janata Dal BJD 1997 Odisha
Bodoland People's
10. BPF 1985 Assam
Front
Desiya Murpokku
11. Dravidar DMDK 2005 Tamil Nadu
Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Puducherry, Tamil
12. DMK 1949
Kazhagam Nadu
Haryana Janhit
13. HJC(BL) 2007 Haryana
Congress (BL)
Hill State People's
14. HSPDP 1968 Meghalaya
Democratic Party
Indian National
15. INLD 1999 Haryana
Lok Dal
Indian Union
16. IUML 1948 Kerala
Muslim League
Jammu & Kashmir
17. National JKNC 1932 Jammu & Kashmir
Conference
Jammu & Kashmir
18. National Panthers JKNPP 1982 Jammu & Kashmir
Party
Jammu and
19. Kashmir People's JKPDP 1998 Jammu & Kashmir
Democratic Party
Janata Dal
20. JD (S) 1999 Karnataka, Kerala
(Secular)
Janata Dal
21. JD (U) 1999 Bihar
(United)
Jharkhand Mukti
22. JMM 1972 Jharkhand
Morcha
Jharkhand Vikas
23. Morcha JVM(P) 2006 Jharkhand
(Prajatantrik)
 Kerala Congress
24. KC(M) 1979 Kerala
(M)
Lok Janshakti
25. LJP 2000 Bihar
Party
Maharashtra
26. MNS 2006 Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena
Maharashtrawadi
27. MGP 1963 Goa
Gomantak Party
Manipur State
28. MSCP 1997 Manipur
Congress Party
Mizo National
29. MNF 1959 Mizoram
Front
Mizoram People's
30. MPC 1972 Mizoram
Conference
Naga People's
31. NPF 2002 Manipur, Nagaland
Front
National People's
32. NPP 2013 Meghalaya
Party
Pattali Makkal Puducherry, Tamil
33. PMK 1989
Katchi Nadu
People's Party of
34. PPA 1987 Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal
Rashtriya Janata
35. RJD 1997 Bihar, Jharkhand
Dal
36. Rashtriya Lok Dal RLD 1996 Uttar Pradesh
Rashtriya Lok
37. RLSP 2013 Bihar
Samta Party
Revolutionary
38. RSP 1940 Kerala, West Bengal
Socialist Party
39. Samajwadi Party SP 1992 Uttar Pradesh
Shiromani Akali
40. SAD 1920 Punjab
Dal
41. Shiv Sena SS 1966 Maharashtra
Sikkim Democratic
42. SDF 1993 Sikkim
Front
Sikkim Krantikari
43. SKM 2013 Sikkim
Morcha
Telangana Rashtra
44. TRS 2001 Telangana
Samithi
Telugu Desam Andhra
45. TDP 1982
Party Pradesh, Telangana
United Democratic
46. UDP 1972 Meghalaya
Party

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 YSR Congress Andhra
47. YSRCP 2011
Party Pradesh, Telangana
Samajwadi Janata
48. SJP 1990 Uttar Pradesh
Party (Rashtriya)

3) Types of Political Parties in India - Unrecognized Parties

What is an Unrecognized Party?

• An Unrecognized Political Party is the one who do not have the privilege of
contesting the elections on a symbol of its own.
• This[party have to choose one symbol out of the list of ‘free symbols’ issued
by the poll panel.

There are more than hundred Unrecognized Political Parties in India, some of
them are enlisted below:

S. Foundation
Name Abbreviation States
No. Year
Bhartiya Gramin
1 BGSP 2015 Madhya Pradesh
Samaj Party
2 Amra Bangali AMB 1983 West Bengal
Bhartiya Minorities
3 BMSM 1994 Maharashtra
Suraksha Mahasangh
Hindustani Awam
4 HAM 2015 Bihar
Morcha
Indhiya Jananayaga
5 IJK 2010 Tamil Nadu
Party
Indian Bold Citizen
6 IBCP 2016 Kerala
Party
Jan Samaikyanshra
7 JSP 2014 Andhra Pradesh
Party
Jan Adhikar Party
8 JAP 2015 Bihar
Loktantrik
Andhra Pradesh,
9 Jana Sena Party JSP 2014
Telangana
Kerala Congress
10 KCJ 1991 Kerala
(Jacob)
11 Kerala (B) KCB 1989 Kerala
Kongynadu Makkal
12 KMDK 2001 Tamil Nadu
Desia Katchi
 Namathu Kongu
13 MKMK 2016 Tamil Nadu
Munnetra Kalagam
14 Kisan Party of India KPI 2014 Bihar
Andhra Pradesh,
15 Lok Satta Party LSP 2006
Telangana
Manipur Peoples
16 MPP 1968 Manipur
Party
Manithaneya Makkal
17 MMK 2009 Tamil Nadu
Katchi
Marumalarchi
18 Dravida Munnetra MDMK 1992 Tamil Nadu
Kazhgam
Bihar,
19 Janta Dal JD 2017
Jharkhand
20 Odisha Janmorcha OJM 2013 Odisha
21 Param Digvijay Dal PDD 2014 Uttar Pradesh
22 Peace Party of India PPI 2008 Uttar Pradesh
23 Puthiya Tamilagam PTK 1996 Tamil Nadu
Rashtriya Samaj
24 RSP 2003 Maharashtra
Paksha
Rashtriya Ulama
25 RUC 2008 Uttar Pradesh
Council
Rashtriya
26 RPS 2013 Andhra
Parirakshana Samiti
Delhi, UP,
Rajasthan,
Gujarat,
Social Democratic
27 SDPI 2009 Bihar, Madhya
Party of India
Pradesh,
Jharkhand, Goa,
Tamil Nadu

Hope this article on Political Parties in India have added a big deal to your
knowledge for the preparation of various exam. For more such information, check
other articles as well.

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