India has a multi-party system with recognition accorded to national, state and district level parties. The status is reviewed periodically by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Other political parties that wish to contest local, state or national elections are required to be registered by the Election Commission of India. Registered parties are upgraded as recognised national or state level parties based upon objective criteria. A recognised party enjoys privileges like a reserved party symbol, free broadcast time on state run television and radio, a consultation in setting of election dates and giving input in setting electoral rules and regulations.
This listing is according to the 2019 Indian general election and Legislative Assembly elections and any party aspiring to state or national party status must fulfil at least one of the concerned criteria. In addition, national and state parties have to fulfill these conditions for all subsequent Lok Sabha or State elections, or else they lose their status. As per latest publication from Election Commission of India, the total number of parties registered was 2698, with 8 national parties, 52 state parties and 2638 unrecognised parties.
All registered parties contesting elections need to choose a symbol from a list of available symbols offered by the EC. All 28 states of the country along with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry have elected governments unless President’s rule is imposed under certain conditions.
National parties
A registered party is recognised as a national party only if it fulfils any one of the three conditions listed below:
- A party should win 2% of seats in the Lok sabha from at least three different states.
- At a general election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party polls 6% of votes in any four or more states and in addition it wins four Lok Sabha seats.
- A party gets recognition as a state party in four states.
- A party gets at least 8% of total valid votes polled in 4 or more states ( with or without any seats)
| Name | Abbreviation | Ideology | Founded | Founder(s) | Party Leader | Party symbol | Headquarters | |
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| All India Trinamool Congress | AITC (popularly as TMC) | Anti Communism | 1 January 1998 |
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Kolkata office: 36G, Topsia Road, Kolkata-700039 Central office: 30B, Harish Chatterjee Street, Kolkata-700026 New Delhi office: 61, South Avenue, New Delhi-100011 |
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| Bahujan Samaj Party | BSP | Social equalitySocial justice
Self-respect |
14 April 1984 |
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12, Gurdwara Rakabganj Road, New Delhi-110001 (Delhi) | |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | BJP | HindutvaIntegral humanism
Conservatism Anti Communism Social conservatism Neoliberalism Right-wing populism |
6 April 1980 |
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6-A, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi-110002 (Delhi) | |
| Communist Party of India | CPI | CommunismMarxism–Leninism | 26 December 1925 |
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Ajoy Bhavan, 15, Indrajit Gupta Marg, New Delhi-110002, (Delhi) | |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | CPI(M) | CommunismMarxism | 7 November 1964 |
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27-29, A. K. Gopalan Bhavan, Bhai Vir Singh Marg, New Delhi-110001 (Delhi) | |
| Indian National Congress | INC | Big TentSecularism | 28 December 1885 |
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24, Akbar Road, New Delhi-110001 (Delhi) | |
| National People’s Party | NPP | Tribal-Centrism | 6 January 2013 |
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M. G. Avenue, Floor, MDU Building, Imphal- 795001 (Manipur) | |
| Nationalist Congress Party | NCP | Liberalism | 10 June 1999 |
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10, Bishambhar Marg, New Delhi-110001 (Delhi) | |
A party recognised as a National party can be derecognised if it fails to maintain the criteria. For example, RJD received the status of recognised national level party in 2008, but was derecognised in 2010.
State parties
A party has to fulfill any of the following conditions for recognition as a state party:
- A party should secure at least 6% of valid votes polled in an election to the state legislative assembly and win at least 2 seats in that state assembly.
- A party should secure at least 6% of valid votes polled in an election to Lok Sabha and win at least 1 seat in Lok Sabha.
- A party should win minimum three percent of the total number of seats or a minimum of three seats in the Legislative Assembly, which ever is higher.
- A party should win at least one seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to that State.
- Under the liberalised criteria, one more clause that it will be eligible for recognition as state party if it secures 8% or more of the total valid votes polled in the state.
| Name | Abbreviation | Foundation year |
Current leader(s) | Recognised in State/Union Territory | Symbol | |
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| Aam Aadmi Party | AAP | 2012 |
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| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | AIADMK | 1972 |
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| All India Forward Bloc | AIFB | 1939 |
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| All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | AIMIM | 1927 |
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| All India N.R. Congress | AINRC | 2011 |
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| All India United Democratic Front | AIUDF | 2004 |
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| All Jharkhand Students Union | AJSU | 1986 |
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| Asom Gana Parishad | AGP | 1985 |
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| Biju Janata Dal | BJD | 1997 |
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| Bodoland People’s Front | BPF | 1985 |
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| Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | CPI(ML)L | 1974 |
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| Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | DMDK | 2006 |
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| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | DMK | 1949 |
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| Goa Forward Party | GFP | 2016 |
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| Hill State People’s Democratic Party | HSPDP | 1968 |
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| Indian National Lok Dal | INLD | 1999 |
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| Indian Union Muslim League | IUML | 1948 |
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| Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura | IPFT | 2009 |
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| Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | JKNC | 1932 |
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| Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party | JKNPP | 1982 |
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| Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party | JKPDP | 1998 |
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| Janta Congress Chhattisgarh | JCC | 2016 |
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Farmer Ploughing (within square farm) | |
| Janata Dal (Secular) | JD(S) | 1999 |
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| Janata Dal (United) | JD(U) | 1999 |
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| Jannayak Janta Party | JJP | 2018 |
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| Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | JMM | 1972 |
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| Kerala Congress (M) | KC(M) | 1979 |
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| Lok Janshakti Party | LJP | 2000 |
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| Maharashtra Navnirman Sena | MNS | 2006 |
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| Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party | MGP | 1963 |
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| Mizo National Front | MNF | 1959 |
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| Mizoram People’s Conference | MPC | 1972 |
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| Naga People’s Front | NPF | 2002 |
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| Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party | NDPP | 2018 |
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Globe | |
| People’s Democratic Alliance | PDA | 2012 |
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Crown | |
| People’s Democratic Front | 2017 |
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Candles | ||
| People’s Party of Arunachal | PPA | 1987 |
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| Rashtriya Janata Dal | RJD | 1997 |
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| Rashtriya Lok Dal | RLD | 1998 |
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| Rashtriya Loktantrik Party | RLP | 2018 |
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| Revolutionary Socialist Party | RSP | 1940 |
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| Samajwadi Party | SP | 1992 |
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| Shiromani Akali Dal | SAD | 1920 |
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| Shiv Sena | SS | 1966 |
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| Sikkim Democratic Front | SDF | 1993 |
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| Sikkim Krantikari Morcha | SKM | 2013 |
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Table lamp | |
| Telangana Rashtra Samithi | TRS | 2001 |
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| Telugu Desam Party | TDP | 1982 |
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| United Democratic Party | UDP | 1972 |
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| Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party | YSRCP | 2011 |
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| Zoram People’s Movement | ZPM | 2017 |
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Unrecognised parties
| Name | Abbreviation | Foundation year |
Current leader(s) | States/UT |
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| Revolutionary Communist Party of India | RCPI | 1934 | Saumyendranath Tagore |
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| Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | DMDK | 2006 | Vijayakanth |
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| Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League | ABGL | 1943 | Bharati Tamang |
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| Naam Tamilar Katchi | NTK | 1958 | Senthamizhan Seeman |
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| United Goans Party | UGP | 1963 | Jack de Sequeira |
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| Manipur Peoples Party | MPP | 1968 | Sovakiran N. |
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| Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | VCK | 1972 | Thol. Thirumavalavan |
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| Socialist Republican Party (Kerala) | SRP | 1977 | O V Sreedath |
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| Uttarakhand Kranti Dal | UKD | 1979 | Kashi Singh Airy |
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| Gorkha National Liberation Front | GNLF | 1980 | Subhash Ghisingh |
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| Lokdal | LD | 1980 | Charan Singh |
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| Amra Bangali | AMB | 1983 | Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar |
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| Bharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh | BMSM | 1983 | Sundar Shaekhar |
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| Kerala Congress (B) | KC(B) | 1989 | R. Balakrishna Pillai |
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| Gondwana Ganatantra Party | GGP | 1991 | Hira Singh Markam |
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| Kerala Congress (Jacob) | KC(J) | 1991 | Anoop Jacob |
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| Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | MDMK | 1992 | Vaiko |
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| Puthiya Tamilagam | PTK | 1996 | K. Krishnasamy |
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| Tamil Maanila Congress | TMC(M) | 1996 | G. K. Vasan |
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| Kongunadu Makkal Katchi | KMK | 2000 | A. M. Raja |
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| Ittehad-e-Millat Council | IEMC | 2001 | Tauqeer Raza Khan |
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| People’s Democratic Front | 2001 | Ajoy Biswas |
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| Tamil Nadu Kongu Ilaingar Peravai | KIP | 2001 | U. Thaniyarasu |
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| Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party | SBSP | 2002 | Om Prakash Rajbhar |
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| Rashtriya Samaj Paksha | RSP | 2003 | Mahadev Jankar |
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| Lok Satta Party | LSP | 2006 | Jaya Prakash Narayana |
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| Gorkha Janmukti Morcha | GJM | 2007 | Bimal Gurung |
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| Peace Party of India | PECP | 2008 | Mohamed Ayub |
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| Pattali Makkal Katchi | PMK | 1989 |
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| Rashtriya Ulama Council | RUC | 2008 | Aamir Rashadi Madni |
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| Manithaneya Makkal Katchi | MMK | 2009 | M. H. Jawahirullah |
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| Social Democratic Party of India | SDPI | 2009 | M. K. Faizy |
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| Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi | IJK | 2010 | T.R. Pachamuthu |
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| Quami Ekta Dal | QED | 2010 | Mukhtar Ansari |
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| Samajwadi Janata Dal Democratic | SJDD | 2010 | Devendra Prasad Yadav |
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| Hindu Sena | HS | 2011 | Vishnu Gupta |
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| Welfare Party of India | WPI | 2011 | S. Q. R. Ilyas |
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| Bahujan Mukti Party | BMP | 2012 | V. L. Matang |
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| Indian Gandhiyan Party | IGP | 2012 | Aashin U S |
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| Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi | KMDK | 2013 | E. R. Eswaran |
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| Odisha Janmorcha | OJM | 2013 | Pyarimohan Mohapatra |
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| Jana Sena Party | JSP | 2014 | Pawan Kalyan |
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| Param Digvijay Dal | PDD | 2014 | Adhyatmik Neta Krishna Mohan Shankar Yogi |
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| All India Hindustan Congress Party | AIHCP | 2015 | Buddh Prakash Sharma |
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| Jan Adhikar Party Loktantrik | JAP | 2015 | Pappu Yadav |
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| Jan Shakti Party of India | JSPI | 2015 | Gurjeet Singh Azad |
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| Hindustani Awam Morcha | HAM | 2015 | Jitan Ram Manjhi |
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| Apna Dal (Sonelal) | AD(S) | 2016 | Anupriya Patel |
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| Goa Suraksha Manch | GSM | 2016 | Subhash Velingkar |
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| NISHAD Party | NISHAD | 2016 | Sanjay Nishad |
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| Swaraj India | SI | 2016 | Yogendra Yadav |
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| All India Mahila Empowerment Party | AIMEP | 2017 | Nowhera Shaik |
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| Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam | AMMK | 2018 | T. T. V. Dhinakaran |
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| Jansatta Dal Loktantrik | JSD (L) | 2018 | Raghuraj Pratap Singh |
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| Loktantrik Janata Dal | LJD | 2018 | Sharad Yadav |
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| Makkal Needhi Maiam | MNM | 2018 | Kamal Haasan |
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| Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) | PSP(L) | 2018 | Shivpal Singh Yadav |
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| Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) | SAD(T) | 2018 | Ranjit Singh Brahmpura |
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| Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi | VBA | 2018 | Prakash Ambedkar |
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| Vikassheel Insaan Party | VIP | 2018 | Mukesh Sahani |
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| Lok Insaaf Party | LIP | 2019 | Simarjit Singh Bains |
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| Nawan Punjab Party | NPP | 2019 | Dharamvir Gandhi |
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| Punjab Ekta Party | PEP | 2019 | Sukhpal Singh Khaira |
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| Azad Samaj Party | ASP | 2020 | Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan |
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| Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party | JKAP | 2020 | Altaf Bukhari |
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| Jammu and Kashmir Workers Party | JKWP | 2020 | Mir Junaid |
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| Raijor Dol | RD | 2020 | Akhil Gogoi |
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| Rashtriya Jan Jan Party | RJJP | 2020 | Ashutosh Kumar |
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| Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) | SAD(D) | 2020 | Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa |
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Indian Secular Front ISF 2020 Abbas Siddique West Bengal