India has a multi-party system, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) grants recognition to national-level and state-level political parties based on objective criteria. A recognised political party enjoys privileges such as a reserved party symbol, free broadcast time on state-run television and radio, consultation in deciding election dates, and giving input in setting electoral rules and regulations. Other political parties wishing to contest local, state, or national elections must be registered with the ECI. Registered parties can be upgraded to recognized national or state parties by the ECI if they meet the relevant criteria after a Lok Sabha or state legislative assembly election. The ECI periodically reviews the recognized party status.
Before the amendment in 2016 (which came into force on 1 January 2014), if a political party failed to fulfill the criteria in the subsequent Lok Sabha or state legislative assembly election, it would lose its status as a recognized party. In 2016, the ECI announced that a periodic review would take place after two consecutive elections instead of after every election. Therefore, a political party will retain its recognized party status even if it does not meet the criteria in the next election. However, if it fails to meet the criteria in the election following the next one, it would lose its status.
As per latest publications dated 23 March 2024 from Election Commission of India, and subsequent notifications, there are 6 national parties, 60 state parties, and 2,049 registered unrecognized parties (RUPP) in India. All registered parties contesting elections need to choose a symbol from a list of available symbols offered by the ECI. All 29 states of the country and the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, National Capital Territory of Delhi, and Puducherry have elected legislatures unless President's rule is imposed under certain conditions.
National parties Criteria for recognition A registered party is recognised as a national party only if it fulfills any one of the three conditions listed below: If its candidates have secured at least 6% of total valid votes in at least 4 states (in latest Lok Sabha or Assembly elections) and the party has at least 4 MPs in the last Lok Sabha polls. If it has won at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from at least 3 states. It is 'recognised' in four or more states.
List of National parties +Recognised national partiesAam Aadmi PartyBahujan Samaj PartyBharatiya Janata Party Founded Founded Founded Flag Flag FlagElectoral SymbolElectoral SymbolElectoral Symbol Political Position Political Position Political Position CentreCentre-leftRight-wing to far-right Ideology Ideology Ideology PopulismSecularismNationalismAmbedkarismShyam Singh, 2010. "Dalit Movement and Emergence of the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh: Politics and Priorities," Working Papers 242, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.Social justiceHindutvaRight-wing populismConservatismNeo-liberalismNeo-fascism Leader Leader LeaderArvind KejriwalMayawatiNitin NabinNumber of Elected RepresentativesNumber of Elected RepresentativesNumber of Elected RepresentativesLok SabhaRajya SabhaLok SabhaRajya SabhaLok SabhaRajya SabhaState AssembliesState CouncilsState AssembliesState CouncilsState AssembliesState CouncilsCommunist Party of India (Marxist)Indian National CongressNational People's Party Founded Founded Founded Flag Flag FlagElectoral SymbolElectoral SymbolElectoral Symbol Political Position Political Position Political Position Left-wingCentreCentre-right Ideology Ideology Ideology Marxism-LeninismSocialismSecularismRevolutionary patriotismAnti-imperialismCivic nationalismSecularismLiberalismSocial democracyConservatismRegionalism Leader Leader LeaderMarian Alexander BabyMallikarjun KhargeConrad SangmaNumber of Elected RepresentativesNumber of Elected RepresentativesNumber of Elected RepresentativesLok SabhaRajya SabhaLok SabhaRajya SabhaLok SabhaRajya SabhaState AssembliesState CouncilsState AssembliesState CouncilsState AssembliesState Councils
State parties Criteria for recognition A registered party is recognised as a state party only if it fulfils any one of the five conditions listed below: A party should secure at least six per cent of valid votes polled in an election to the state legislative assembly and win at least two seats in that state assembly. A party should secure at least six per cent of valid votes polled in an election to Lok Sabha and win at least one seat in Lok Sabha. A party should win at least three per cent of the total number of seats or any fraction thereof allotted to that state. At least one MP for every 25 members or any fraction allotted to the state in the Lok Sabha. Under the liberalised criteria, one more clause that it will be eligible for recognition as state party if it secures eight per cent or more of the total valid votes polled in the state.
List of state parties
+Recognised state partiesPartyFlagElectionsymbolFoundedLeader(s)Recognised in state(s)Number of seatsLokSabhaRajyaSabhaStateassembliesStatecouncilsState party in three states1925D. RajaKeralaManipurTamil Nadu222211999H. D. Deve GowdaH. D. KumaraswamyArunachal PradeshKarnatakaKerala211882003Nitish KumarArunachal PradeshBiharManipur12487261999Sunetra PawarMaharashtraNagalandArunachal Pradesh13448State party in two states1972Edappadi K. PalaniswamiPuducherryTamil Nadu044201949M. K. StalinPuducherryTamil Nadu22105901963Neiphiu RioManipurNagaland00390 2024Sharad PawarMaharashtraNagaland821231997Lalu Prasad YadavTejashwi YadavBiharJharkhand458151982N. Chandrababu NaiduAndhra PradeshTelangana162135102011Y. S. Jagan Mohan ReddyAndhra PradeshTelangana471135 2024C. Joseph VijayPuducherryTamil Nadu001090 State party in one state1939Debabrata BiswasWest Bengal00001927Asaduddin OwaisiTelangana101022011N. RangaswamyPuducherry001002005Badruddin AjmalAssam001501986Sudesh MahtoJharkhand10102016Anupriya PatelUttar Pradesh201211985Atul BoraAssam0190 2023Rajkumar RoatRajasthan10502001K. Chandrashekar RaoTelangana0439191997Naveen PatnaikOdisha075102005Hagrama MohilaryAssam0030 Ganesh Kumar RaiSikkim1974Dipankar BhattacharyaBihar20131 2005Premallatha VijayakantTamil Nadu00002016Vijai SardesaiGoa00101968KP PangniangMeghalaya00201996Abhay Singh ChautalaHaryana00201948Sadiq Ali Shihab ThangalKerala322402009Prem Kumar ReangTripura00101932Farooq AbdullahOmar AbdullahJammu and Kashmir234201982Harsh Dev SinghJammu and Kashmir00001999Mehbooba MuftiJammu and Kashmir00302014Pawan KalyanAndhra Pradesh202122018Dushyant ChautalaHaryana00002016Renu JogiChhattisgarh00001972Hemant SorenJharkhand323401964P. J. JosephKerala10701979Jose K. ManiKerala01002021Chirag PaswanBihar50302006Raj ThackerayMaharashtra00001963Deepak DhavalikarGoa00201958SeemanTamil Nadu00001961ZoramthangaMizoram001001977Kamen RinguArunachal Pradesh00102021Pashupati Kumar ParasBihar00002018Hanuman BeniwalRajasthan10002022Viresh BorkarGoa00101940Manoj BhattacharyaKerala10301992Akhilesh YadavUttar Pradesh37411291920Sukhbir Singh BadalPunjab10301993Pawan Kumar ChamlingSikkim00002013Prem Singh TamangSikkim103202022Eknath ShindeMaharashtra715982022Uddhav ThackerayMaharashtra922062019Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb BarmaTripura001301997Metbah LyngdohMeghalaya001102015Urkhao Gwra BrahmaAssam1170 2021Ardent Miller BasaiawmoitMeghalaya10401997H. LalrinmawiaMizoram00002017LalduhomaMizoram11270
Unrecognised parties
+ Notable registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs)PartyFoundedLeader(s)StatesAkhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha1915ChakrapaniAll-IndiaAll India Hindustan Congress Party2015Buddh Prakash SharmaGujaratRajasthanAll India Mahila Empowerment Party2017Nowhera ShaikTelanganaKarnatakaAmma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam2018T. T. V. DhinakaranTamil NaduAmra Bangali1983Prabhat Ranjan SarkarWest BengalTripuraAzad Adhikar Sena2022Amitabh Thakur, Nutan ThakurUttar PradeshAazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram)2020Chanda Shekhar AzadUttar PradeshBahujan Mukti Party2012Pravendra Pratap SinghUttar PradeshMaharashtraBharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh1983Sundar ShaekharMaharashtraDemocratic Trinamool Congress2026Ritabrata BanerjeeWest BengalGorkha Janmukti Morcha2007Bimal GurungWest BengalGoa Suraksha Manch2016Subhash VelingkarGoaGondwana Ganatantra Party1991Tuleshwar Hira Singh MarkamChhattisgarhJharkhandMaharashtraHindu Sena2011Vishnu GuptaNew DelhiHindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)2015Jitan Ram ManjhiBiharIndiya Jananayaka Katchi2010T. R. PaarivendharTamil NaduIndian Gandhiyan Party2012Aashin U SKeralaIndian Secular Front2021Naushad SiddiquiWest BengalIttehad-e-Millat Council2001Tawqir Raza KhanUttar PradeshJammu and Kashmir Apni Party2020Altaf BukhariJammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir Workers Party2020Mir JunaidJammu and KashmirJan Shakti Party of India2015Gurjeet Singh AzadPunjabJansatta Dal (Loktantrik)2018Raghuraj Pratap SinghUttar PradeshJan Suraaj Party2024Prashant KishorBiharJharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha2024Jairam Kumar MahatoJharkhandKarnataka Rashtra Samithi2019Ravi Krishna ReddyKarnatakaKerala Congress (B)1989K. B. Ganesh KumarKeralaKerala Congress (Jacob)1991Anoop JacobKeralaKongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi2013E. R. EswaranTamil NaduKongunadu Makkal Katchi2000A. M. RajaTamil NaduLok Satta Party2006Jaya Prakash NarayanaAndhra PradeshTelanganaLok Insaaf Party2019Simarjit Singh BainsPunjabMakkal Needhi Maiam2018Kamal HaasanTamil NaduPuducherryMamata All India Trinamool Congress2026Mamata BanerjeeWest BengalMeghalayaAssamManipur Peoples Party1968Sovakiran N.ManipurManithaneya Makkal Katchi2009M. H. JawahirullahTamil NaduMarumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam1992VaikoTamil NaduNISHAD Party2016Sanjay NishadUttar PradeshOdisha Jan Morcha2013Pyarimohan MohapatraOdishaParam Digvijay Dal2014Krishna Mohan Shankar YogiUttar PradeshPattali Makkal Katchi1989S. RamadossPuducherryTamil NaduPeace Party 2008Mohamed AyubUttar PradeshPeople's Democratic Alliance2012Bd. Behring AnalManipurPeople's Democratic Front2001Ajoy BiswasTripuraPlurals Party2020Pushpam Priya ChoudharyBiharPuthiya Tamilagam1996K. KrishnasamyTamil NaduRaijor Dal2020Akhil GogoiAssamRashtriya Lok Dal1996Jayant ChaudharyUttar PradeshRajasthanRashtriya Lok Morcha2023Upendra KushwahaBiharRashtriya Samaj Paksha2003Mahadev JankarMaharashtraKeralaRashtriya Ulama Council2008Aamir Rashadi MadniUttar PradeshRepublican Party of India (Athawale)1999Ramdas AthawaleManipurSamata Party1994Uday MandalBiharManipurShiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)1994Simranjit Singh MannPunjabSocial Democratic Party of India2009M. K. FaizyKarnatakaKeralaTamil NaduSocialist Party2011Thampan ThomasUttar PradeshSocialist Unity Centre of India1948Provash GhoshAll-IndiaSuheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party2002Om Prakash RajbharUttar PradeshSwaraj India2016Yogendra YadavHaryanaKarnatakaMaharashtraTamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar)1996G. K. VasanTamil NaduTamil Nadu Kongu Ilaingar Peravai2001U. ThaniyarasuTamil NaduTwenty 20 Party2015Sabu M. JacobKeralaUttarakhand Kranti Dal1979Kashi Singh AiryUttarakhandVanchit Bahujan Aaghadi2018Prakash Yashwant AmbedkarMaharashtraViduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi1990Thol. ThirumavalavanTamil NaduVikassheel Insaan Party2018Mukesh SahaniBiharWelfare Party of India2011S. Q. R. IlyasKerala
Historical parties