Explained: Which parties are in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)?

In 2023, a 26-party alliance was envisaged. Since then, Bihar’s Janata Dal (United) has left the alliance to join the NDA, while UP’s Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) ended up allying with Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Also, the All India Trinamool Congress or the TMC is now a nominal member of the bloc, as it did not engage in seat-sharing with the alliance partners for the elections.

Here is a brief look at the alliance members’ history, regions of influence, and how they have fared in recent major polls before 2024. A * in front of the parties’ names implies that they are recognised by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Indian National Congress (INC)*

STATE: National Party

SYMBOL: Hand

HISTORY: The INC was established in 1885, emerging during British colonial rule and comprising Indian and British people who wanted to create a space for registering dissent against the British government. After Independence, the party has projected ideals of secularism, welfarism and social justice.

PERFORMANCE: Right from the first parliamentary elections in 1952, the INC emerged as a dominant political force and has remained so for many decades. It won several general elections, and many major political parties in their country trace their origins to it. However, the party has witnessed a significant decline in recent years. In 2019 it secured 52 Lok Sabha seats – its worst performance ever. Additionally, the party is in government in five states, either independently or as part of a coalition alliance.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)*

STATE: National Party

SYMBOL: Broom

HISTORY: In 2012, IRS-officer-turned-activist Arvind Kejriwal, along with a group of activists and professionals, launched the AAP. It emerged from a popular movement which had stated its aim was eradicating corruption in public services. Led by Kejriwal, the AAP also focused on welfare measures and improving basic healthcare and education facilities.

PERFORMANCE: AAP had landslide victories in the 2015 and 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, and in the Punjab elections of 2022. In 2019, it had one Lok Sabha MP – current Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. It has 10 MPs in the Rajya Sabha.

All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC)*

STATES: West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura

SYMBOL: Flowers and Grass

HISTORY: The TMC was founded in 1998 by Mamata Banerjee after leaving the Congress. Initially part of the NDA, it emerged as a prominent opposition party in West Bengal, particularly after leading the Nandigram movement against land acquisition.

PERFORMANCE: In state elections, particularly in West Bengal, the party has shown remarkable growth, securing a supermajority in 2016 and 2021. Despite facing challenges in some states like Assam and Tripura, the TMC has maintained its stronghold in West Bengal. It won no seats in the last general elections.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)*

STATE: Maharashtra

SYMBOL: Man blowing Turha

HISTORY: Sharad Pawar launched the NCP in 1999, after being thrown out of the Congress for his remarks on Sonia Gandhi. Since then, he has established a formidable political presence, especially in rural Maharashtra. In 2023, Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit left the party and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) government as Deputy Chief Minister, reportedly due to differences with the party founder. The NCP’s traditional party symbol of the clock went to the Ajit faction provisionally.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, five MPs from the party were elected and it currently has three MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Currently, the Sharad faction claims to have the support of around 13 MLAs of NCP’s 53 in the state assembly, and of several MPs.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)*

STATE: Bihar

SYMBOL: Hurricane lamp

HISTORY: On July 5, 1997, Janata Dal’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and around 25 MPs gathered in New Delhi and decided to form the RJD. The party was established as a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal and Lalu was elected as its first president. Traditionally, its voter base includes Muslims and Yadavs (what is popularly called the ‘MY’ grouping) and other backward groups with a focus on socialist policies.

PERFORMANCE: The RJD failed to open its account in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2020 state assembly elections, the party got 75 seats — it contested 144 out of 243 seats — and became the second-largest party.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)*

STATE: Maharashtra

SYMBOL: Flaming torch

HISTORY: Shiv Sena was formed in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, with Marathi sub-nationalism and Hindutva as the major planks. His son Uddhav later headed the party. In 2022, Eknath Shinde and his supporters broke away from the party and joined the BJP to form the government in Maharashtra. The decision to establish Shiv Sena (UBT) came after the ECI in February 2022 recognised Shinde’s faction as representing Shiv Sena officially.

PERFORMANCE: It is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra along with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). As a whole, the Shiv Sena secured 18 seats in the 2019 general elections. The UBT faction also claims to have the support of around 15 MLAs.

Samajwadi Party (SP)*

STATE: Uttar Pradesh

SYMBOL: Cycle

HISTORY: Founded in 1992 by Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP was also a breakaway party of the Janata Dal. The party was established just months before the Babri Masjid demolition, which took place on December 6, 1992. Like the RJD, its key supporters include Muslims, Yadavs and some other backward classes. It is currently led by Mulayam’s son, Akhilesh Yadav.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the SP got five seats out of the 49 it contested. There are 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP. In the 2022 State Assembly elections, the party won 111 seats, having contested 347 out of the 403 seats.

Communist Party of India (CPI)*

STATE: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Manipur

SYMBOL: Ears of corn and sickle

HISTORY: Founded in modern-day Kanpur on December 26, 1925, the CPI is the oldest communist party in India. The party was established by M N Roy, his wife Evelyn Trent, Abani Mukherji, and M P T Acharya.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party contested 49 seats and won just two of them. Notably, CPI is part of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala. In the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections, the LDF got 99 out of 140 seats.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML)L)*

STATE: Bihar and Jharkhand

SYMBOL: Flag with three stars

HISTORY: The CPI(ML)L was founded on April 22, 1969 — the birth anniversary of Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. Its genesis was in the Naxalbari uprising of 1967. The party “since its earliest days, developed a model of class struggle that championed questions of dignity and equality of the oppressed castes and women,” according to its official website.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, the CPI(ML)L won 12 seats. In the 2019 Jharkhand Legislative Assembly election, the party got just one seat — it had contested 14. CPI(ML)L currently does not have any MPs.

Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP)*

UNION TERRITORY: Jammu & Kashmir

SYMBOL: Ink pot and pen

HISTORY: The PDP was founded in 1999 by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. It came to power in the erstwhile state of J&K (which was given UT status in 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370) for the first time in 2002. It is currently headed by Mufti’s daughter Mehbooba Mufti.

PERFORMANCE: The party did not win any of the six seats in J&K in the previous general elections. In the 2014 Legislative Assembly elections, it won 28 seats out of 87 and went on to form the government with support of the BJP, which had won 25 seats.

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC)*

UNION TERRITORY: Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh

SYMBOL: Plough

HISTORY: The National Conference was founded in 1932. The party has maintained the stand that Kashmir is an integral part of India while also advocating for its autonomous status in line with the original accession agreement signed in 1947.

PERFORMANCE: It won three out of the six seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, following which the state was reconstituted into the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)*

STATE: Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

SYMBOL: Sun rising from between two mountains

HISTORY: Founded in 1949, the DMK was formed by breaking away from the Dravidar Kazhagam led by EVR “Periyar” Ramasamy. The party was led by CN Annadurai, who served as its general secretary until his demise in 1969. M Karunanidhi then served as the party president from 1969 to 2018. The party has established itself as a major presence in the state, with Karunanidhi alone serving five terms as Chief Minister. Today, the party is led by his son MK Stalin.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-led alliance won 38 of the 39 seats up for grabs in Tamil Nadu, with the party alone securing 24 seats. The party currently holds power in the state as well, having been elected in 2021. It is the main opposition party in Puducherry.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)*

STATE: Kerala

SYMBOL: Ladder

HISTORY: The IUML was founded in 1948 in erstwhile Madras (today Chennai), a year after Partition led to the disbanding of the All India Muslim League. The party has been a part of the INC-led United Democratic Front (UDF) since 1969. It has always had a constant, if small, presence in Lok Sabha. The IUML is the strongest in Kerala and has a unit in Tamil Nadu as well.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the IUML had three MPs out of the state’s 20 and helped the Congress-led United Democratic Front alliance secure a near-clean sweep in the state. The party also has one Rajya Sabha MP. The IUML won 15 out of the state’s 140 seats in the 2021 assembly elections.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)*

STATE: Jharkhand

SYMBOL: Bow and arrow

HISTORY: The party’s origins date back to the Jharkhand independence movement in undivided Bihar in 1950, in particular to the erstwhile Jharkhand Formation Party. Key to the cause were the demands for a unique tribal identity and an end to their exploitation in the concerned districts. The JMM was formally formed as an alliance among the Shivaji Samaj led by Kurmi leader Binod Bihari Mahto, a group of Santhals led by Shibu Soren, and a Marxist organisation. Their efforts bore fruit when the state was formed out of Bihar in 2000. The party has been in power for three of the five state assemblies, marked by a turbulent history as a member of different coalition governments.

PERFORMANCE: In 2019, the JMM elected 1 MP to the Lok Sabha from the state’s 14 seats. The party is currently in power in the state, with the party holding 30 seats of the 81-strong assembly. However, Hemant Soren, who served as the state’s Chief Minister, was arrested in a corruption case in 2024.

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP)*

STATE: Rajasthan

SYMBOL: Bottle

HISTORY: Hanuman Beniwal, an independent MLA, formed the party before the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections in 2018. Initially allied with the BJP-led NDA, he switched to the UPA in 2024. However, he had protested against the Central government’s policies, including the three farm reform laws and the Agniveer scheme, even as a BJP ally. The party enjoys support among the Jat community.

PERFORMANCE: In 2018, the party won three seats in the state assembly. It allied with Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party in the 2023 state elections and secured a single seat, that of Beniwal. In 2019, he won from the Nagaur Lok Sabha seat, which he later vacated.

All India Forward Bloc (AIFB)*

STATE: West Bengal

SYMBOL: Lion

HISTORY: Under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose, the AIFB originated as a faction of the Congress in 1939 and established itself as a political party post-independence in 1951. The party would go on to mark its electoral presence in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Assam while retaining West Bengal as its main stronghold.

PERFORMANCE: As a member of the CPI(M)-led Left Front, the AIFB has seen its vote share dwindle over the years to a paltry 0.05% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party’s presence is currently limited to a few panchayats across West Bengal.

Kerala Congress (KEC (M))*

STATE: Kerala

SYMBOL: Two leaves

HISTORY: The Kerala Congress was launched in 1979 and has seen multiple splits since then. The Mani split occurred after the late KM Mani founded his own party, having influence mainly among Christian voters in the region of central Travancore, around the areas of Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts.

PERFORMANCE: The party currently has one MP in the Rajya Sabha and one MP in the Lok Sabha – Jose K Mani, who is the son of KM Mani. It won five assembly seats in the Legislative Assembly in 2021 and is part of the ruling Left alliance.

[The KEC refers to the Kerala Congress, an ambiguation of the multiple splinter parties formed as breakaway factions of the Kerala Congress Party originally formed in 1964 by K. M. George. Among these, the Kerala Congress (Mani) and the Kerala Congress (Balakrishna) are members of the LDF, while the Kerala Congress (Jacob), the Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, the Kerala Congress (Scaria Thomas) and the Kerala Congress (Joseph) are members of the UDF. Both coalitions are members of I.N.D.I.A.]

Communist Party of India (Marxist)*

STATE: National Party

SYMBOL: Hammer and sickle

HISTORY: The CPI(M) was formed out of a split with the Communist Party of India in 1964. It has had a marked presence in states such as West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, with the party leading a government in West Bengal for 34 years. As the foremost Leftist party in the country, the CPI(M) has led the Left Front, a coalition of left-wing political parties, since 1977.

PERFORMANCE: The CPI(M) won three seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while it currently has five members in the Rajya Sabha. With the TMC coming to power in West Bengal in 2011, its presence has been mostly muted, while it conceded power to the BJP in Tripura in 2018. The CPI(M) currently heads the LDF government in Kerala, which is now in its second consecutive term.

Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)*

STATE: Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal

SYMBOL: Spade and stoker

HISTORY: In Kerala, the party was a founding member of the Left Democratic Front at its inception in 1979-80. It remained a member until 2014 when it broke off ties, protesting the “overbearing” approach of CPI(M) and CPI in seat allocation.

PERFORMANCE: N K Premachandran is currently the MP from Kollam in Kerala. His party is an ally of the Congress-led UDF alliance in the state. It did not win any seats in the last state elections.

Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP)

STATE: Bihar

SYMBOL: Purse

HISTORY: It was founded by Mukesh Sahani, who was previously a set designer for Bollywood films. Sahani, an Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) leader who projects himself as “son of Mallah”, returned to the Mahagathbandhan after being cold-shouldered by the BJP-led NDA in 2024.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2020 Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar, the party won four seats out of the 11 it contested as a member of the NDA.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)

STATE: Tamil Nadu, has also contested in other southern states

SYMBOL: Free symbol, Pot

HISTORY: Tholkappiyan Thirumavalavan, popularly known as Thol. Thirumavalavan, founded the party with a focus on Dalit issues. It is currently allied with the ruling DMK and has done so in the past as well.

PERFORMANCE: In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, the party bagged four seats, including two general or non-reserved ones. Thol. Thirumavalavan is also a Lok Sabha MP from Chidambaram.

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)

STATE: Tamil Nadu

SYMBOL: Earlier had the Top symbol

HISTORY: The MDMK is led by veteran Tamil nationalist leader Vaiko. He founded the party in the late 1990s. Vaiko has previously served as a Rajya Sabha MP for 18 years, between 1978 and 1996.

PERFORMANCE: Vaiko was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2019.

Kerala Congress (Joseph)

STATE: Kerala

SYMBOL: Autorickshaw

HISTORY: The Kerala Congress (Joseph) party was formed in 1979 after PJ Joseph and his supporters parted ways with the Kerala Congress. It is primarily active in central Kerala and enjoys the support of Syrian Christians and the Nair community.

PERFORMANCE: The Kerala Congress has no seats in the Lok Sabha. It has two seats in the Kerala state assembly.

Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP)

STATE: Assam

SYMBOL: Ship

HISTORY: The AJP was formed in 2020 in the wake of the anti-CAA protests that gripped the state, as a merger of two student political organisations, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP).

PERFORMANCE: The party contested the 2021 assembly elections in alliance with the Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal and did not win any seats.

Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK)

STATE: Tamil Nadu

SYMBOL: Two flags with green, yellow and red stripes

HISTORY: The KMDK was formed in 2013 by ER Eswaran as a breakaway faction of the Kongunadu Makkal Katchi (KMK) with its voter base focused in the western districts or the Kongunadu region of Tamil Nadu.

PERFORMANCE: The party currently has three MLAs in the state assembly and one MP in the Lok Sabha. It is a part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which also includes the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi. It has two MLAs in the state assembly currently, including party leader MH Jawahirullah.