List of political parties in India: A look at full forms, leaders and categories

General knowledge questions asked in competitive exams are not only based on the news and current affairs but also its wide branches which are expanded into different sections, such as history, full-forms of terms, universal facts and so on.

While the results of Assembly Elections are making waves on the Internet, a lot of students do not understand the full form of TRS, a political party which stood victorious in Telangana, or AIMIM, the opposition in the state.

India has three types of political parties

1. National Parties

2. State Recognized Parties

3. Unrecognized Parties

What are the conditions to become a national party in India?
Lok Sabha has 543 seats in total out of which a part should at least have 2 per cent of seats from at least three different states in India.

India has seven national political parties.

1. Started in 1980, BJP's full form is Bharatiya Janata Party led by Amit Shah.

2. Started in 1885, INC's full form is Indian National Congress led by Rahul Gandhi.

3. Started in 1964, CPI-M's full form is Communist Party of India (Marxist) led by Sitaram Yechury.

4. Started in 1925, CPI's full form is Communist Party of India led by Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy.

5. Started in 1984, BSP's full form is Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati Prabhu Das.

6. Started in 1999, NCP's full form is Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar.

7. Started in 1998, AITC's full form is All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee.

What are the conditions to become state recognised parties?
A political party should at least win three per cent of the total number of seats in the legislative assembly.

1. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was started in 2012 in Delhi, Punjab.

2. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was started in 1972 in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu.

3. All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) was started in 1939 in West Bengal

4. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was started in 1927 in Telangana

5. All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) was started in 2011 in Puducherry

6. All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) was started in 2004 in Assam

7. All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) was started in 1986 in Jharkhand

8. Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was started in 1985 in Assam.

9. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was started in 1997 in Odisha.

10. Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) was started in 1985 in Assam.

11. Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK) was started in 2005 in Tamil Nadu.

12. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was started in 1949 in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu.

13. Haryana Janhit Congress [ HJC(BL)] was started in 2007 in Haryana.

14. Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) was started in 1968 in Meghalaya.

15. Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) was started in 1999 in Haryana.

16. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was started in 1948 in Kerala.

17. Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) was started in 1932 in Jammu & Kashmir.

18. Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) was started in 1982 in Jammu & Kashmir.

19. Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP) was started in 1998 in Jammu & Kashmir.

20. Janata Dal (Secular), JD (S), was started in 1999 in Karnataka, Kerala.

21. Janata Dal (United), JD (U), was started in 1999 in Bihar.

22. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was started in 1972 in Jharkhand.

23. Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), JVM(P), was started in 2006 in Jharkhand.

24. Kerala Congress (M), KC(M), was started in 1979 in Kerala.

25. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) was started in 2000 in Bihar.

26. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was started in 2006 in Maharashtra.

27. Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) was started in 1963 in Goa.

28. Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) was started in 1997 in Manipur.

29. Mizo National Front (MNF) was started in 1959 in Mizoram.

30. Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) was started in 1972 in Mizoram.

31. Naga People’s Front (NPF) was started in 2002 in Manipur, Nagaland.

32. National People’s Party (NPP) was started in 2013 in Meghalaya.

33. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) was started in 1989 in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu.

34. People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) was started in 1987 in Arunachal Pradesh.

35. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was started in 1997 in Bihar, Jharkhand.

36. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) was started in 1996 in Uttar Pradesh.

37. Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) was started in 2013 in Bihar.

38. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) was started in 1940 in Kerala, West Bengal.

39. Samajwadi Party (SP) was started in 1992 in Uttar Pradesh.

40. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was started in 1920 in Punjab.

41. Shiv Sena (SS) was started in 1966 in Maharashtra.

42. Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) was started in 1993 in Sikkim.

43. Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) was started in 2013 in Sikkim.

44. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was started in 2001 in Telangana.

45. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was started in 1982 in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana.

46. United Democratic Party (UDP) was started in 1972 in Meghalaya.

47. YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was started in 2011 in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana.

48. Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya), SJP, was started in 1990 in Uttar Pradesh

49. All India Public Freedom Party (AIPFP) was started in 2016 in Tamil Nadu.

What is an unrecognized party?
An Unrecognized Political Party cannot contest an election on its symbol. This party has to choose from the list of 'free symbols' issued by the poll panel.

There are many unrecognised political parties in India which do not gain much attention in the elections.