Question

Which one of the following is NOT a classified category. of political parties as outlined by the Election Commission of India?
1. National Parties
2. State Recognised Parties
3. Regional Parties
4. Registered Unrecognised Parties

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 4 : Registered Unrecognised Parties

The correct answer is Registered Unrecognised Parties.

• A national or state party can be a recognised political party if certain conditions which are laid down by the Election Commission are fulfilled.

• To become a recognised party, the party should secure a minimum percentage of total polled votes or a certain number of seats in Lok Sabha or state legislative assembly.
• The Election Commission lists political parties as “national party”, “state party” or “registered (unrecognized) party”.
• The conditions for being listed as a national or a state party are specified under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
• A party has to satisfy any one of a number of these conditions.
• The party which is given this recognition by the commission gets certain privileges like allotment of a party symbol, sometimes for political broadcast on the state televisions and radio stations, and has access to electoral rolls.
• The registered unrecognized party are those who are a newly registered party or have not secured a certain percentage of votes in general or assembly Elections which are fixed by the election commission or have never contested in elections.

• At present (2019), a party is recognised as a state party in a state if any of the following conditions are fulfilled:
  1. If it secures six percent of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the legislative assembly of the state concerned; and, in addition, it wins 2 seats in the assembly of the state concerned; or
  2. If it secures six percent of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the Lok Sabha from the state
     concerned; and, in addition, it wins 1 seat in the Lok Sabha from the state concerned; or
  3. If it wins three percent of seats in the legislative assembly at a general election to the legislative assembly of the state
     concerned or 3 seats in the assembly, whichever is more; or
  4. If it wins 1 seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any
     fraction thereof allotted to the state at a general election to
     the Lok Sabha from the state concerned; or
  5. If it secures eight percent of the total valid votes polled in
     the state at a General Election to the Lok Sabha from the
     state or to the legislative assembly of the state. This
     condition was added in 2011.
• A party is given the status of a National-level political party when it fulfills one of the following conditions:
  1. Gains at least 4 Lok Sabha seats in 4 or more states; or
  2. Gains at least 2% in the Lok Sabha, i.e. 11 seats, and together these seats have come from three different states; or
  3. Recognized as a state-level party in at least four states.

• There is a total of 8 National Political Parties in India.
  • Indian National Congress - 1885
  • Communist Party of India - 1925
  • Communist Party of India (Marxist) - 1964
  • Bhartiya Janta Party - 1980
  • Bahujan Samaj Party - 1984
  • Trinamool Congress - 1998
  • Nationalist Congress Party - 1999
  • National People's Party - 2013
•  52 state-level political parties are recognized in India.