India has a multi-party system with a predominance of small regional parties. Political parties that wish to contest local, state or national elections are required to be registered by the Election Commission of India (EC). In order to gain recognition in a state, the party must have had political activity for at least five continuous years, and send at least 4% of the state's quota to the Lok Sabha (India's Lower house), or 3.33% of members to that state's assembly. These conditions are deemed to have failed if a member of the Lok Sabha or the Legislative Assembly of the State becomes a member of that political party after his election. If a party is recognised in four or more states, it is declared as a "National party" by the EC. Otherwise, it is known as a "State Party."[1]
All parties contesting elections have to choose a symbol from a list of available symbols offered by the Election Commission. All 28 states along with the union territory of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi usually have an elected government unless President's rule is imposed under certain conditions.
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National
Seven parties are recognised as national parties.[E] They are listed by name, together with acronym, year of formation and the party leader.[2]
| Symbol | Flag | Name | Acronym | Year[3] | Party leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Bahujan Samaj Party | BSP[A] | 1995 | Mayawati |
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Bharatiya Janata Party | BJP | 1980 | Rajnath Singh |
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Communist Party of India | CPI | 1925[B] | A.B. Bardhan |
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Communist Party of India (Marxist) | CPI (M) | 1964 | Prakash Karat |
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Indian National Congress | INC | 1885 | Sonia Gandhi |
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Nationalist Congress Party | NCP | 1999 | Sharad Pawar |
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Rashtriya Janata Dal | RJD | 1997 | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
State
If a party is recognised as a state party by the Election Commission, it can reserve a symbol for its exclusive use in the state. The following are a list of recognised state parties as of April 2009.[4]
See also
 This article is part of the series: |
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Political Parties
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Other countries · Politics Portal |
- List of political parties in India – complete list of all registered parties.
- List of political party symbols in India
Notes
- ^A , the BSP may use its symbol in all states except Sikkim and Assam, where its candidates have to choose another symbol.[2] The BSP at the moment does not have a presence in these two states.
- ^B According to the CPI(M), the breakaway faction, the CPI was founded in 1920 in Tashkent.[6]
- ^C Uddhav Thackeray is the working president of the Shiv Sena. The overall command is held by his father and party founder Bal Thackeray.[7]
- ^D NA – The exact year of formation is not available
- ^E This listing is based on the situation at the Indian general election, 2009. Source:[4]
References
- General
- "Current recognised parties" (PDF). Election Commission of India. 2004-04-01. http://eci.nic.in/Press/current/PN_010404.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- Specific
- ^ "Registration of Political Parties". FAQs. Election Commission of India. 2007. http://eci.nic.in/faq/RegisterationPoliticalParties.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ a b "Notification of political parties and election symbols" (PDF). Election Commission of India. 2009-03-14. http://eci.nic.in/ElectoralLaws/OrdersNotifications/symbols170309.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ^ a b "Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Country Fact Sheet - India". 2007-05. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46d2ebbe24.html. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ a b Election Commission of India[dead link].
- ^ "Handbook of Political Parties and Election Symbols" (PDF). Election Commission of India. 2007. http://eci.nic.in/ElectoralLaws/HandBooks/political_party_Election_Symbol_2007.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
- ^ Surjeet, Harkishan Singh (2005). "Spread of Communist Activities". History of the communist movement in India. 1. LeftWord Books. p. 54. ISBN 8187496495.
- ^ Bidwai, Praful. "Hindutva in dire straits". http://www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?act_id=1087&username=guest@tni.org&password=9999&publish=Y&print_format=Y.
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