How Many National Parties are There in India

Introduction

Multiple parties govern India. The Election Commission of India (ECI) recognises political parties at the federal and state levels based on objective standards. A recognised political party is granted benefits such as a reserved party emblem, free airtime on state-run television and radio, involvement in selecting election dates, and the ability to propose changes to electoral laws. The Election Commission of India requires other political parties to register before they can run in municipal, state, or national elections. After a Lok Sabha or State legislative assembly election, Registered Parties are elevated by the ECI to Recognized National Parties or State Parties if they meet the requirements. The ECI periodically evaluates the status of Recognised Parties.

Before the modification in 2016 (which took effect on 1 January 2014), a political party would lose its position as a recognised Party if it failed to meet the requirements in the ensuing Lok Sabha or state legislative assembly election. Instead of happening after every election, the ECI declared in 2016 that a review would occur every two elections. Therefore, even if they do not achieve the requirements in the subsequent election, a political party shall maintain its status as a recognised Party. However, they would only retain their standing if they fulfilled the requirements in the election that came after the next one.

ECI pov:

According to the Election Commission of India's most recent publication, dated September 23, 2021, a total of 2858 parties were registered, including 54 state parties, 8 national parties, and 2796 unrecognised parties. Each registered party running for office must select a symbol from a list of possible ones the EC provides. All 28 of the nation's states and the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Puducherry have elected governments unless the president's rule is imposed under specific circumstances.

National Parties

A registered party is only recognised as a national party if it meets one of the three criteria specified below:

● The party wins 2% of Lok Sabha seats from at least three states.

● In a general election to the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party receives 6% of the vote in four or more states and wins four Lok Sabha seats.

● Four states recognise the party as a state party.

Political Parties in India that have National Party Status

The Election Commission of India recognises eight national parties in India. The BSP, Congress, CPI, CPI-M, BJP, NCP, NPP, and AITC are among them. People in India form political parties based on caste, religion, rationale, language, etc. To spare the country from choosing, the ECI has established rules for determining whether a party is a state or national party. The party is recognised as a national political party if the qualifications are met. The following are the parties:

● Bharatiya Janata Party

● Communist Party of India

● Indian National Congress

● Communist Party of India (Marxist)

● Bahujan Samaj Party

● All India Trinamool Congress

● Nationalist Congress Party

● National People’s Party