· India has a multi-party system with recognition accorded to national and state level parties.
· The status is reviewed periodically by the Election Commission of India. Other political parties that wish to contest local, state or national elections are required to be registered by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
· A recognised party enjoys privileges like reserved party symbol free broadcast time on state run television and radio, consultation in the setting of election dates and giving inputs in setting electoral rules and regulations.
· As of September 2016 there were 7 National and 48 state recognised political parties
· A registered party is recognised as a National Party only if it fulfils any one of the following three conditions:
1. The party wins 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha (as of 2014, 11 seats) from at least 3 different States.
2. At a General Election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party polls 6% of votes in four States and in addition, it wins 4 Lok Sabha seats.
3. A party gets recognition as State Party in four or more States.
· A registered party has to fulfil any of the following conditions for recognition as a State Party:
1. A party should win minimum three percent of the total number of seats or a minimum of three seats in the Legislative Assembly.
2. A party should win at least one seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to that State.
3. A political party should secure at least six percent of the total valid votes polled during general election to a Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly and should, in addition, win at least one Lok Sabha, and two Legislative Assembly seats in that election,
4. Under the liberalized criteria, one more clause has been added to provide that even if a Party fails to win any seat in a State in a general election to the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly of the State, the party will still be eligible for recognition as State Party if it secures 8% or more of the total valid votes polled in the State.
List of recognised National Parties of India:
Name
|
Symbol
|
Foundation
year |
Current leader(s)
|
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP)
|
Lotus
|
1980
|
Amit Shah
|
Indian National Congress
(INC)
|
Hand
|
1885
|
Sonia Gandhi
|
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
(CPI-M)
|
Hammer,
sickle and star
|
1964
|
Sitaram Yechury
|
Communist Party of India
(CPI)
|
Ears of corn
and sickle
|
1925
|
Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy
|
Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP)
|
Elephant
|
1984
|
Mayawati
|
Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP)
|
Clock
|
1999
|
Sharad Pawar
|
All India Trinamool Congress Party
(AITCP)
|
Jora Ghas Phul
|
1998
|
Mamta Banerjee
|
The All India Trinamool Congress (abbreviated AITC, TMC or Trinamool Congress) is an Indian national political party based in West Bengal, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Founded on 1 January 1998 as a breakaway faction of the Indian National Congress, the party is led by its founder and current Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee. Prior to the 2009 general election, it was the sixth largest party in the Lok Sabha with 19 seats; following the 2014 general election, it is currently the fourth largest party in the Lok Sabha with 34 seats.
See also→Recognised State Political Parties
