Political Parties

Types of Political Parties (Ideological Classification)

Reactionary Parties: Cling to old socio-economic and political institutions, resisting change.
Conservative Parties: Believe in maintaining the status-quo, advocating for gradual change.
Liberal Parties: Aim at reforming existing institutions, seeking progressive change within the system.
Radical Parties: Aim at establishing a new order by overthrowing the existing system.
Note: In political science, reactionary and conservative parties are often grouped as 'right-wing', while liberal and radical parties are generally considered 'left-wing'.

Party Systems

A party system refers to the number and nature of political parties that exist in a country and how they interact.

One-Party System: Only one ruling party is permitted or dominates, with no effective opposition (e.g., former USSR, China).
Two-Party System: Two major parties exist, often alternating in power, while other smaller parties exist but have little influence (e.g., USA, UK).
Multi-Party System: A large number of political parties compete for power, often leading to coalition governments (e.g., India, France, Switzerland).

Characteristics of India's Multi-Party System

India largely operates under a multi-party system with several distinct features:

Multi-Party System: A large number of national and regional parties.
One-Dominant Party System (Historical context): Historically, India has seen periods of dominance by one major party (e.g., Indian National Congress for many decades post-independence), although this trend has evolved.
Lack of Clear Ideology: Many parties, especially regional ones, may not have a clear and consistent ideology, often focusing on regional or specific group interests.
Personality Cult: Some parties are heavily influenced by the personality of their leaders.
Based on Traditional Factors: Party affiliations and support can often be based on caste, religion, language, and other traditional societal divisions.
Emergence of Regional Parties: Significant rise and influence of regional parties, often holding the balance of power in coalition governments.
Factions and Defections: Frequent instances of internal factions within parties and defections of members from one party to another.
Lack of Effective Opposition: At times, a fragmented or weak opposition can lead to a less accountable government.

Recognition of National and State Parties

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is responsible for registering political parties and granting them recognition as National or State parties based on their poll performance. Other parties are simply declared as registered unrecognised parties.

Conditions for Recognition as a National Party (As of 2016)

A party is recognised as a National Party if any one of the following conditions is fulfilled:

It secures 6% of the valid votes polled in any four or more states in a general election to the Lok Sabha or to the legislative assembly of the state concerned; AND, in addition, it wins 4 seats in the Lok Sabha from any state or states.
It wins 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha (i.e., 11 seats in the current Lok Sabha of 543 members) from at least three different states in a general election.
It is recognised as a State Party in four or more states.

Conditions for Recognition as a State Party (As of 2016)

A party is recognised as a State Party in a state if any one of the following conditions is fulfilled:

It secures 6% 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.
It secures 6% 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.
It wins 3% of the total seats in the legislative assembly of the state concerned, OR 3 seats, whichever is more.
It wins 1 seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats, or any fraction thereof, allotted to the state at a general election from that state.
It secures 8% 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).

Advantages of Recognition

Reserved Election Symbol: A recognised party gets a unique election symbol reserved for its exclusive use throughout the country (for national parties) or in the state (for state parties).
Free Airtime: Access to free broadcast facilities on Doordarshan and All India Radio during elections.
Electoral Rolls: Entitled to receive copies of electoral rolls free of cost.
Star Campaigners: Can have a maximum of 40 'star campaigners' (expenditure on whom is not added to the candidate's election expenses), while unrecognised parties can have 20.
Office Space: Entitled to get land or buildings for their party offices in Delhi (for national parties).