India’s vibrant democracy is built on the foundation of constitutionalism and political parties. With a universal adult franchise, every citizen can elect their representatives who form the government. Political parties are the vehicles for mobilizing this power and play a crucial role in the functioning of Indian democracy. In this article, we will explore the different categories of political parties in India and the conditions they need to fulfill to be recognized as national or state parties.

National and State Parties: Political parties in India are classified into two categories – national and state parties. National parties have a presence in multiple states, while state parties operate within a specific state.

Conditions for Recognition as a State Party: To be recognized as a state party, a political party must meet one of the following conditions:

• Secure 6% of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the Legislative Assembly of the state concerned, and win 2 seats in the assembly of the state concerned.
• Secure 6% of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the Lok Sabha from the state concerned and win 1 seat in the Lok Sabha from the state concerned.
• Win 3% of seats in the Legislative Assembly at a general election to the Legislative Assembly of the state concerned or 3 seats in the Legislative Assembly, whichever is more.
• Win 1 seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to the state at a general election in Lok Sabha from the state concerned.
• Secure 8% of the total valid votes polled in the state at a General Election to the Lok Sabha from the state or to the Legislative Assembly of the state. This condition was added in 2011.

Conditions for Recognition as a National Party: To be recognized as a national party, a political party must meet one of the following conditions:

• Secure 6% of valid votes polled in any four or more states at a general election to the Lok Sabha or to the Legislative Assembly, and win four seats in the Lok Sabha from any state or state.
• Win 2% (11 seats) of seats in the Lok Sabha at a general election and these candidates are elected from three states.
• Be recognized as a state party in 4 states.

Recent Recognition of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP):

In March 2021, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured a majority in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, and in February 2022, it secured 13% of votes in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections. With these wins, the party fulfilled the conditions for recognition as a national party.

Derecognition of Parties in 2023

In 2023, the ECI derecognized TMC, CPI, and the NCP despite giving them sufficient opportunities in two parliamentary elections and 21 state assembly elections to retain their National party status. On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was recognized as a National party after achieving the required vote share in multiple state elections.

Current Number of National Parties in India

Currently, there are six National parties in India, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People’s Party (NPP), and AAP.