How many political parties are registered in India?

As of 2024-2026, there are over 603 political parties registered with the Election Commission of India. Of these, 6 are recognised as national parties, 79 are state-recognised parties, and the rest are registered unrecognised parties.

What are the criteria for national party recognition?

A party is recognised as a national party if it meets any of the following: (1) it wins at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from at least 3 states; (2) in a general election, it polls at least 6% of votes in at least 4 states and also wins 4 Lok Sabha seats; or (3) it is recognised as a state party in at least 4 states. The Election Commission reviews recognition status after each general election.

What are the criteria for state party recognition?

A party gets state party status if it secures at least 6% of valid votes polled and wins at least 2 seats in the state legislative assembly, or wins at least 3% of total seats in the legislative assembly (minimum 3 seats), or wins at least 1 seat for every 25 seats allotted to the state in Lok Sabha, or secures at least 8% of total valid votes polled in the state.

What benefits do recognised parties receive?

Recognised parties get a reserved election symbol exclusively allotted to them, free airtime on Doordarshan and All India Radio during elections, access to electoral rolls, and are allowed to have up to 40 star campaigners (20 for unrecognised parties). National parties get a common symbol across all states, while state parties get their symbol reserved only in the state(s) where they are recognised.

Which are the current 6 national parties?

As per the latest Election Commission data (2024-2026), the 6 recognised national parties are: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Indian National Congress (INC), National People's Party (NPP).

Which parties recently lost national party status?

After the 2024 review, the Communist Party of India (CPI), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) lost their national party status. They continue as state-recognised parties in their respective states.

Where does this data come from?

The party registration data is sourced from the Election Commission of India (eci.gov.in) and Wikipedia. Symbol images are from Wikimedia Commons. National party recognition status is updated based on the latest ECI orders following general elections.

Election Commission of India

Political Parties of India

603 registered political parties — 6 national, 79 state-recognised, and 518+ registered parties.

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Key Takeaways

603 parties are on the Election Commission's rolls today — only 6 carry national recognition and 79 are state-recognised; the remaining 518 are registered but unrecognised.
Indian National Congress (INC) is the oldest party on the registry, founded in 1885 — 141 years ago.
National People's Party (NPP) is the most recently founded national party, established in 2013.
State recognition is concentrated in regional strongholds: 4 parties carry recognition in 3 states, 8 in 2 states, and 67 in a single state.

Party Registry

Search recognised and registered parties by name, abbreviation, leader, headquarters, and recognition geography.

AAP

National

Aam Aadmi Party

Arvind KejriwalFounded 2012

BSP

National

Bahujan Samaj Party

MayawatiFounded 1984

BJP

National

Bharatiya Janata Party

Nitin NabinFounded 1980

CPI(M)

National

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

M. A. BabyFounded 1964

INC

National

Indian National Congress

Mallikarjun KhargeFounded 1885

NPP

National

National People's Party

Party	Leader	Founded	HQ	Symbol
National Parties (6)
AAP Aam Aadmi Party	Arvind Kejriwal	2012(14y)	New Delhi	Broom
BSP Bahujan Samaj Party	Mayawati	1984(42y)	New Delhi	Elephant
BJP Bharatiya Janata Party	Nitin Nabin	1980(46y)	New Delhi	Lotus
CPI(M) Communist Party of India (Marxist)	M. A. Baby	1964(62y)	New Delhi	Hammer, Sickle & Star
INC Indian National Congress	Mallikarjun Kharge	1885(141y)	New Delhi	Hand
NPP National People's Party	Conrad K. Sangma	2013(13y)	Tura	Book
State Parties — recognised in 3 states (4)
CPI Communist Party of India KeralaManipurTamil Nadu	D. Raja	1925(101y)	New Delhi	Ears of Corn & Sickle
JD(S) Janata Dal (Secular) Arunachal PradeshKarnatakaKerala	H. D. Deve Gowda	1999(27y)	Bengaluru	Lady Farmer
JD(U) Janata Dal (United) Arunachal PradeshBiharManipur	Nitish Kumar	1999(27y)	Patna	Arrow
AITC All India Trinamool Congress MeghalayaTripuraWest Bengal	Mamata Banerjee	1998(28y)	Kolkata	Flowers & Grass
State Parties — recognised in 2 states (8)
AIADMK All India Anna DMK PuducherryTamil Nadu	Edappadi K. Palaniswami	1972(54y)	Chennai	Two Leaves
DMK Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam PuducherryTamil Nadu	M. K. Stalin	1949(77y)	Chennai	Rising Sun
NPF Naga People's Front ManipurNagaland	Neiphiu Rio	1963(63y)	Kohima	Cock
NCP Nationalist Congress Party MaharashtraNagaland	Ajit Pawar	1999(27y)	New Delhi	Clock
NCP-SP NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MaharashtraNagaland	Sharad Chandra Govindrao Pawar	2024(2y)	New Delhi	Man blowing Tutari
RJD Rashtriya Janata Dal BiharJharkhand	Lalu Prasad Yadav	1997(29y)	Patna	Hurricane Lamp
TDP Telugu Desam Party Andhra PradeshTelangana	N. Chandrababu Naidu	1982(44y)	Amaravati	Bicycle
YSRCP YSR Congress Party Andhra PradeshTelangana	Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy	2011(15y)	Hyderabad	Ceiling Fan
State Parties — recognised in 1 state (67)
AIFB All India Forward Bloc West Bengal	Debabrata Biswas	1939(87y)	Kolkata	Lion
AIMIM All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Telangana	Asaduddin Owaisi	1927(99y)	Hyderabad	Kite
AINRC All India N.R. Congress Puducherry	N. Rangaswamy	2011(15y)	Puducherry	Jug
AIUDF All India United Democratic Front Assam	Badruddin Ajmal	2005(21y)	Guwahati	Bat
AJSU All Jharkhand Students Union Jharkhand	Sudesh Mahto	1986(40y)	Ranchi	Banana
AD AD(S) Apna Dal (Soneylal) Uttar Pradesh	Anupriya Patel	2016(10y)	Lucknow	Diya
AGP Asom Gana Parishad Assam	Atul Bora	1985(41y)	Guwahati	Elephant
BRS Bharat Rashtra Samithi Telangana	Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao	2001(25y)	Hyderabad	Car
BJD Biju Janata Dal Odisha	Naveen Patnaik	1997(29y)	Bhubaneswar	Conch
BPF Bodoland People's Front Assam	Hagrama Mohilary	2005(21y)	Kokrajhar	Nangol
RJ RJRD Raijor Dal Assam	Akhil Gogoi	2020(6y)	Assam	Torch
CPI(ML) CPI (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation Bihar	Dipankar Bhattacharya	1974(52y)	Patna	Hammer & Sickle inside Star
DMDK Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam Tamil Nadu	Premalatha Vijayakant	2005(21y)	Chennai	Nagara
TV TVK Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam PuducherryTamil Nadu	C. Joseph Vijay	2024(2y)	Chennai
GFP Goa Forward Party Goa	Vijai Sardesai	2016(10y)	Panaji	Coconut Tree
IN INLD Indian National Lok Dal Haryana	Abhay Singh Chautala	1996(30y)	Chandigarh	Spectacles
IU IUML Indian Union Muslim League Kerala	Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal	1948(78y)	Kozhikode	Ladder
JK JKNC J&K National Conference Jammu and Kashmir	Farooq Abdullah	1932(94y)	Srinagar	Plough
JK JKPDP J&K Peoples Democratic Party Jammu and Kashmir	Mehbooba Mufti	1998(28y)	Srinagar	Ink Pot & Pen
JS JSP JanaSena Party Andhra Pradesh	Pawan Kalyan	2014(12y)	Amaravati	Glass Tumbler
JJ JJP Jannayak Janta Party Haryana	Dushyant Chautala	2018(8y)	Chandigarh	Hat
JMM Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Jharkhand	Hemant Soren	1972(54y)	Ranchi	Bow & Arrow
KC KC Kerala Congress Kerala	P. C. Thomas	1964(62y)	Thiruvananthapuram	Pair of Scales
KE KEC(J) Kerala Congress (Jacob) Kerala	Anoop Jacob	1993(33y)	Kerala
KC KC(M) Kerala Congress (M) Kerala	Jose K. Mani	1979(47y)	Kottayam	Two Leaves
LJ LJP Lok Janshakti Party Bihar	Pashupati Kumar Paras	2000(26y)	Patna	Bungalow
MN MNS Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Maharashtra	Raj Thackeray	2006(20y)	Mumbai	Railway Engine
MN MNF Mizo National Front Mizoram	Zoramthanga	1961(65y)	Aizawl	Star
SP Samajwadi Party Uttar Pradesh	Akhilesh Yadav	1992(34y)	Lucknow	Bicycle
SAD Shiromani Akali Dal Punjab	Sukhbir Singh Badal	1920(106y)	Chandigarh	Scales
SHS Shiv Sena Maharashtra	Eknath Shinde	1966(60y)	Mumbai	Bow & Arrow
SH SHS(UBT) Shiv Sena (UBT) Maharashtra	Uddhav Thackeray	2022(4y)	Mumbai	Flaming Torch
SKM Sikkim Krantikari Morcha Sikkim	Prem Singh Tamang	2013(13y)	Gangtok	Table Lamp
ZN ZNP Zoram Nationalist Party Mizoram	Lalduhoma	1997(29y)	Aizawl	Kerosene Stove
LJ LJP(RV) Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Bihar	Chirag Paswan	2021(5y)	Patna	Helicopter
RL RLD Rashtriya Lok Dal Uttar Pradesh	Jayant Chaudhary	1996(30y)	New Delhi	Hand Pump
RL RLP Rashtriya Loktantrik Party Rajasthan	Hanuman Beniwal	2018(8y)	Jaipur	Syringe
RS RSP Revolutionary Socialist Party Kerala	Manoj Bhattacharya	1940(86y)	Kolkata	Spade & Stoker
RM RMPOI Revolutionary Marxist Party of India Kerala	K. K. Rema	2009(17y)	Kerala
UP UPPL United People's Party Liberal Assam	Pramod Boro	2012(14y)	Kokrajhar	Ganna Kisan
VC VCK Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi Tamil Nadu	Thol. Thirumavalavan	1999(27y)	Chennai	Pot
ND NDPP Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party Nagaland	Chingwang Konyak	2017(9y)	Kohima	Globe
MD MDMK Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Tamil Nadu	Vaiko	1994(32y)	Chennai	Top
AM AMMKMNKZ Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam Tamil Nadu	T. T. V. Dhinakaran	2018(8y)	Chennai
CM CMPKSC Communist Marxist Party Kerala State Committee Kerala	Not listed	1986(40y)	Kerala
LJ LJK Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK) Puducherry	Not listed	(NaNy)	Puducherry
NY NYMK Neyam Makkal Kazhagam Puducherry	Not listed	(NaNy)	Puducherry
AJ AJUP Aam Janata Unnayan party West Bengal	Not listed	(NaNy)	West Bengal
AI AISF All India Secular Front West Bengal	Not listed	2021(5y)	West Bengal
ZP ZPM Zoram People's Movement Mizoram	Lalduhoma	2017(9y)	Aizawl	Tin
AS ASPKR Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram)	Chandra Shekhar Aazad	2020(6y)	Lucknow	Whistle
BA BAP Bharat Adivasi Party Rajasthan	Rajkumar Roat	2023(3y)	Rajasthan	Gulab Ka Phool
HA HAMS Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) Bihar	Jitan Ram Manjhi	2015(11y)	Patna	Candle
RS RSHTLKM Rashtriya Lok Morcha Bihar	Not listed	2023(3y)	Bihar
II IIP Indian Inclusive Party Bihar	Not listed	2025(1y)	Bihar
JL JLKM Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha Jharkhand	Not listed	2024(2y)	Jharkhand
RS RSHYVSWBHM Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party Maharashtra	Not listed	(NaNy)	Maharashtra
RS RSVA Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi Maharashtra	Not listed	(NaNy)	Maharashtra
VO VOPP Voice of the People Party Meghalaya	Ardent Basaiawmoit	2021(5y)	Shillong	Football
TM TMP Tipra Motha Party Tripura	Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma	2019(7y)	Agartala
KP KPA Kuki People's Alliance Manipur	Not listed	2022(4y)	Manipur
RV RVLTGONP Revolutionary Goans Party Goa	Not listed	2017(9y)	Goa
KR KRPP Kannada Rajya Praja Paksha Karnataka	Not listed	2023(3y)	Karnataka
RP RPP Republican Party of India (Athawale) NagalandMaharashtra	Ramdas Athawale	1956(70y)	Mumbai
NI NISHAD Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Uttar Pradesh	Sanjay Nishad	2016(10y)	Lucknow
IN IND Independent	Not listed	(NaNy)	Not listed
NO NOTA None of the Above	Not listed	(NaNy)	Not listed
Other Registered Parties (518)
JDJanata Dal
BLDBhartiya Lok Dal
NCOIndian National Congress (Org.)
INC(U)Indian National Congress (Urs)
ICSIndian National Congress (Socialist)
INC(T)Indian National Congress (Tiwari)
SWASwatantra Party
TMC(M)Tamil Maanila Congress(Moopnar)
LT CONGLok Tantric Congress
ABHMAkhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha
AIIC(S)All India Indira Congress(Secular)
MULMuslim League
SJPSamajvadi Janata Party
SAPSamata Party
JD(S)Janata Dal (Samajvadi)
SMT(S)Samata Party (S)
JNP(JP)Janata Party (JP)
LDLok Dal/Lok Dal(Bahuguna)
JNPJanata Party
M-CORMarxist Co-ordination Committee
RPIRepublican Party of India
RPKHRepublican Party of India (Khobragade)
HVCHimachal Vikas Congress
JNP(SC)Janata Party (Secular) Charan Singh
JNP(SR)Janata Party (Secular) Raj Narain
VHPVishal Haryana Party
SAD(M)Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann)
SAD(T)Shiromani Akali Dal (Tohra)
HVPHaryana Vikas Party
HLSHaryana Lok Samiti
HJCBLHaryana Janhit Congress (BL)
PWPPeasants & Workers Party of India
MAGMaharashtrawadi Gomantak
UGDPUnited Goan Democratic Party
JD(G)Janata Dal (Gujarat)
GSRPGoa su-raj Party
GVPGoa Vikas Party
EITEastern India Tribal Union
JVMJharkhand Vikas Morcha
TDP(LP)Telugu Desam(Parvathi)
PMKPattali Makkal Katchi
KRCPKarnataka Congress Party (Bangaprappa)
ATDPAnna Telugu Desam
AHLAll Party Hill Leader's Conference
AGP (P)Asom Gana Parisad (Pragtisheel)
MPPManipur People's Party
NPCNagaland People's Council
SSPSikkim Sangram Parishad
SDFSikkim Democratic Front
TUJSTripura Upjati Juba Samiti

Political Parties of India

Party Registry

AAP

BSP

BJP

CPI(M)

INC

NPP

CPI

JD(S)

JD(U)

AITC

AIADMK

DMK

NPF

NCP

NCP-SP

RJD

TDP

YSRCP

AIFB

AIMIM

AINRC

AIUDF

AJSU

AD(S)

AGP

BRS

BJD

BPF

RJRD

CPI(ML)

DMDK

TVK

GFP

INLD

IUML

JKNC

JKPDP

JSP

JJP

JMM

KC

KEC(J)

KC(M)

LJP

MNS

MNF

SP

SAD

SHS

SHS(UBT)

SKM

ZNP

LJP(RV)

RLD

RLP

RSP

RMPOI

UPPL

VCK

NDPP

MDMK

AMMKMNKZ

CMPKSC

LJK

NYMK

AJUP

AISF

ZPM

ASPKR

BAP

HAMS

RSHTLKM

IIP

JLKM

RSHYVSWBHM

RSVA

VOPP

TMP