In SSC, Banking, LIC, Railways, and other competitive exams, the Polity General Awareness section plays an important role nowadays since it is a very scoring section. In this article, we will cover List of National Political Parties in India. This is a very easy topic; if students read it comprehensively, it will enhance their preparation and the possibility of their selection.
Political Party: An Introduction
- A political party is an association of an organized cluster of persons that have common concepts on governance and work along as a political entity to achieve management of the govt so as to forward their agenda and policies.
- They keep the general public up-to-date about the people who represent them in government and opposition.
- Political parties are extra-constitutional in India, however, they continue to be the backbone of the political system.
National Political Parties: Eligibility
A party is recognized as a National Political Party (NPP) if it meets any of the following conditions:
- If it receives at least 6% of the valid votes cast in a general election for the Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly in 4 or more states and also wins at least 4 seats in Lok Sabha from 1 or more states.
- If you win at least 8% of the valid votes cast in a general election for the Lok Sabha or state legislature in 4 or more states.
- If it wins at least 2% of the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha of 3 or more states.
- The Electoral Commission currently recognizes 8 political parties as national political parties.
- Latest NPP: The Indian Electoral Commission has named the National People’s Party (NPP) the eighth national party of India, becoming the first regional party in the North East to hold the honor.
Important Functions of Political Parties:
- Political Parties nominate candidates during the elections.
- They campaign to get support for eligible candidates of their party.
- They use manifestos to present their goals and related programs to voters.
- Political Party that wins the majority in the elections form the government and promulgate and implements policies.
- Those who win a majority in elections form the government and enact and implement policies. People who do not appear to be in power form opposition and keep the government in check.
- Once in the minority in the legislature, they form an opposition and exert sustained pressure on the administration to rule permanently.
- They educate the public and help in forming opinions.
- They specify the demands of the people and communicate them to the government.
List of National Political Parties in India:
Serial No. |
Political Party |
Year of formation |
| 1 | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) | 1980 |
| 2 | Indian National Congress (INC) | 1885 |
| 3 | Communist Party of India(Marxist) (CPI-M) | 1964 |
| 4 | Communist Party of India (CPI) | 1925 |
| 5 | Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) | 1984 |
| 6 | All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) | 1998 |
| 7 | Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) | 1999 |
| 8 | National People’s Party (NPP) | 2013 |
| 9 | Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) | 2012 |