List of political parties in Tamil Nadu
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Tamil Nadu |
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Tamil Nadu has a multi-party system. The Election Commission of India accords recognition to national-level and state-level political parties based upon objective criteria. A recognized political party enjoys privileges like a reserved party symbol,[a] free broadcast time on state-run television and radio, consultation in the setting of election dates, and giving input in setting electoral rules and regulations. Other political parties that want to run in local, state, or national elections must register with the Election Commission of India. The Election Commission of India recognizes registered parties as recognized state parties if they meet the relevant criteria following a Lok Sabha or Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. The recognized-party status is reviewed periodically by the Election Commission of India.[3]
Prior to the 2016 amendment, which went into effect on 1 January 2014, if a political party failed to meet the criteria in the subsequent Lok Sabha or Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, they lost their status as a recognized party. In 2016, the Election Commission of India announced that such a review would take place after two consecutive elections instead of every election. As a result, a political party must retain its recognized party status even if it fails to meet the criteria in the next election. However, if they fail to meet the criteria in the subsequent election following the next election, they would lose their status.
National parties
| Political party | Flag | Electoral symbol | Political position | Founded | Founder | TN unit leader | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lok Sabha | Rajya Sabha | Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |||||||||
| Aam Aadmi Party | 
|
|
Centre | 26 November 2012 | Arvind Kejriwal | S. A. N. Vasigaran | 0 / 39
|
0 / 18
|
0 / 234
| ||
| Bahujan Samaj Party | 
|
|
Centre | 14 April 1984 | Kanshi Ram | K. Armstrong | 0 / 39
|
0 / 18
|
0 / 234
| ||
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 
|
|
Right-wing | 6 April 1980 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | K. Annamalai | 0 / 39
|
0 / 18
|
4 / 234
| ||
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 
|
_election_symbol_-_Hammer_Sickle_and_Star.svg){kind=small}
|
Left-wing | 7 November 1964 | E. M. S. Namboodiripad | K. Balakrishnan | 2 / 39
|
0 / 18
|
2 / 234
| ||
| Indian National Congress | 
|
|
Centre to Centre-left | 28 December 1885 | Allan Octavian Hume | Karti P. Chidambaram | 8 / 39
|
1 / 18
|
18 / 234
| ||
| National People's Party | 
|
|
Centre-right | 28 December 1885 | P. A. Sangma | M. Duraiarasan | 0 / 39
|
0 / 18
|
0 / 234
| ||
State parties
| Political party | Flag | Electoral symbol | Political position | Founded | Founder | Leader | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lok Sabha | Rajya Sabha | Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |||||||||
| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | File:AIADMK Official Flag.png | 
|
Centre to Centre-left | 17 October 1972 | M. G. Ramachandran | Edappadi K. Palaniswami | 0 / 39
|
4 / 18
|
62 / 234
| ||
| Communist Party of India | 
|
|
Left-wing | 26 December 1925 | M. N. Roy | R. Mutharasan | 2 / 39
|
0 / 18
|
2 / 234
| ||
| Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | 
|
|
Centre to Centre-left | 14 September 2005 | Vijayakant | Premalatha Vijayakant | 0 / 39
|
0 / 18
|
0 / 234
| ||
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 
|
|
Centre-left | 17 September 1949 | C. N. Annadurai | M. K. Stalin | 24 / 39
|
10 / 18
|
132 / 234
| ||
Unrecognized parties
Notes
References
- ^ "Names of National State, registered-unrecognized parties and the list of free symbols" (PDF). Election Commission of India. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "State Party List" (PDF). Election Commission of India. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2017.
- ^ "Political Parties and Election Symbols".