Political Parties
🗒️Introduction
A political party is simply a voluntary association of people who share similar political ideologies — that is, they think alike about how society should be governed — and their main aim is to gain political power through constitutional means.
Once they come to power, they seek to work for the national interest.
So, three things define a political party:
- It is a voluntary group — people join it by choice.
- It seeks political power — through elections, not force.
- It claims to work for the national interest.
⚖️ Types of Political Parties (Ideological Classification)
Political scientists classify parties based on their ideological positions — that is, what kind of change they want in society.
| Type of Party | Basic Approach | Example/Position on Spectrum |
|---|---|---|
| Reactionary Parties | Want to go back to the old order. | Far Right |
| Conservative Parties | Prefer status quo (no major changes). | Right |
| Liberal Parties | Support gradual reforms within the system. | Centre |
| Radical Parties | Want to overthrow the existing system and build a new one. | Left |
Now, you must have heard terms like Leftist, Centrist, and Rightist — this is the ideological spectrum derived from the French Revolution era.
👉 In India:
- Leftist: CPI, CPM — advocate socialism, equality, workers’ rights.
- Centrist: Indian National Congress — moderate approach, mix of reform and stability.
- Rightist: BJP — emphasizes tradition, nationalism, and cultural values.
🌍 Types of Party Systems in the World
Depending on how many political parties effectively compete for power, there are three major party systems:
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One-Party System | Only one political party is allowed; opposition banned. | Former USSR, China |
| Two-Party System | Two major parties dominate politics. | USA, UK |
| Multi-Party System | Several parties compete; coalition governments common. | India, France, Italy |
🇮🇳 Party System in India: Key Features
India follows a multi-party system, but it has evolved in a very unique way. Let’s look at its major features.
(a) Multi-Party System
India’s vast diversity — geographical, linguistic, religious, cultural — naturally produced many political parties.
Hence, India has:
- Left, Right, and Centrist parties
- Regional, communal, and issue-based parties
As a result, coalition governments, hung Parliaments, and alliances have become normal features of Indian politics.
(b) One-Dominant Party System
Although India had multiple parties from the beginning, Congress dominated for almost two decades after independence.
So, political scientist Rajni Kothari called it “Congress System” or “One-Party Dominance System” — not one-party rule, but one-party dominance.
However, from 1967 onwards, this dominance declined with the rise of:
- Regional parties
- New national parties like Janata Party (1977), Janata Dal (1989), and BJP (1991).
Thus, India moved toward a competitive multi-party system.
(c) Lack of Clear Ideology
Most Indian parties (except BJP, CPI, CPM) lack strong ideological identity.
Everyone speaks of democracy, secularism, socialism, Gandhian values — but in practice, most are guided by the goal of power capture rather than ideological commitment.
Hence, politics in India has become issue-based and pragmatic, not principle-based.
(d) Personality Cult
In many parties, the leader becomes more important than the party or its ideology.
People identify parties by their leaders — e.g., Indira Gandhi, M.G. Ramachandran, Mayawati, or Mamata Banerjee — leading to the famous statement:
“There are political personalities rather than political parties in India.”
(e) Parties Based on Traditional Factors
Unlike Western democracies (where parties are based on socio-economic programmes), Indian parties often arise from religion, caste, language, culture, or region.
For example:
- Shiromani Akali Dal (religious base – Sikhism)
- DMK/AIADMK (linguistic base – Tamil)
Such sectional politics sometimes undermines national integration.
(f) Emergence of Regional Parties
A striking post-1967 trend — regional parties became strong in states like:
- DMK/AIADMK in Tamil Nadu
- TDP in Andhra Pradesh
- Shiv Sena in Maharashtra
- BJD in Odisha
Earlier, they were confined to the states.
But after coalition politics at the Centre, they began influencing national decisions too.
(g) Factions and Defections
Factionalism, defections (party-hopping), and splits became frequent after the 1967 elections.
Power hunger and material interests led many leaders to change sides or start new parties — causing political instability and frequent government collapses.
(h) Lack of Effective Opposition
A strong Opposition is vital for parliamentary democracy — to check misuse of power and offer an alternative government.
But in India, the Opposition has often been disunited, weak, and short-lived.
Except for brief phases (like 1977 or 2014), India lacked a consistent, organised Opposition front.
🗳️ Recognition of Political Parties
The Election Commission of India (ECI) plays a crucial role here.
It registers all political parties and classifies them as:
- National Parties
- State Parties
- Registered (Unrecognised) Parties
The classification depends on poll performance (vote share + seats won).
🪙 Privileges of Recognised Parties
Recognition gives parties special privileges such as:
- Exclusive party symbol
- Free broadcast time on Doordarshan and AIR
- Access to electoral rolls
Unrecognised parties can only use symbols from a list of free symbols.
⚖️ Conditions for Recognition
A. National Party
A party is recognised as national if any one of these conditions is met:
- 6% votes + 4 Lok Sabha seats
→ Gets 6% valid votes in 4 or more states(LS or LA) and wins 4 Lok Sabha seats. - 2% Lok Sabha seats in 3 states
→ Wins 2% of total Lok Sabha seats, and those MPs come from 3 states. - Recognised as state party in 4 states.
B. State Party
A party becomes a state party if any one of the following conditions is met:
- 6% votes (Assembly) + 2 seats in Assembly, or
- 6% votes (Lok Sabha) + 1 Lok Sabha seat, or
- 3% Assembly seats (or 3 seats, whichever higher), or
- 1 Lok Sabha seat per 25 seats allotted to that state, or
- 8% votes in state (Lok Sabha or Assembly election).
📊 Changing Numbers
This classification changes after every general election depending on performance.
| Year | National Parties | State Parties |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 (1st Lok Sabha) | 14 | 39 |
| 2019 (17th Lok Sabha) | 7 | 52 |
National parties are often called All-India Parties, while state parties are called Regional Parties.
🧩 Summary
- Political Party → Voluntary group → Seeks power → Works for national interest
- Ideologies → Left (Radical) | Centre (Liberal) | Right (Conservative)
- Party Systems → One-party | Two-party | Multi-party
- India’s System → Multi-party, with early Congress dominance
- Trends → Regional rise, personality cult, ideological blur, defections, weak Opposition
- Recognition → By Election Commission → National vs State
- Key Criterion → Vote % + Seats won