National party count after the very first elections: 29 to 14 to 4

The four national parties by 1953 were the Congress, the Praja Socialist Party (formed following the merger of the Socialist Party and the Kisan Mazdoor Party), the CPI, and the Jana Sangh.

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The Election Commission’s (EC) decision on Monday to derecognise three national parties based on their performance in recent elections has precedent all the way back to the first-ever general elections of independent India in 1951-’52.

As per the EC’s report on the first elections, there were 14 national parties before the elections. Those were the All India Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the Bolshevik Party of India, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Forward Bloc (Marxist Group), the Forward Bloc (Ruikar Group), the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, the Indian National Congress, the Krishikar Lok Party, the Revolutionary Communist Party of India, the Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the All India Scheduled Caste Federation, and the Socialist Party.

But, after the results, only four found themselves retaining the national tag. The four national parties by 1953 were the Congress, the Praja Socialist Party (formed following the merger of the Socialist Party and the Kisan Mazdoor Party), the CPI, and the Jana Sangh.

“Prior to the elections, as many as 29 political parties demanded the status of ‘national party’. A decision was made to grant the status to only 14 of them. However, the election results proved sobering for most of them. Thus, on February 6, 1953, only four were permitted to retain that status,” reads the EC’s book, Leap of Faith: Journey of Indian Elections, released last year.

Over the years, many parties have ceased to exist or have merged with others. The CPI was among the three that lost its national party status on Monday after the EC’s review of its poll performance in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2021 Assembly polls.

The EC decided on Monday to revoke the national status of the CPI, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the All India Trinamool Congress and upgraded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from a state party to a national one. At present, there are six national parties: the BJP, the Congress, the AAP, the CPI (Marxist), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP); and the National People’s Party (NPP), which was recognised as a national party in 2019.

For a political party, recognition as a national party brings certain perks, including reservation of their symbol in elections, more copies of the electoral roll, and land for an office in Delhi.

Damini Nath

Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. Expertise Key Coverage Areas: Damini Nath currently specializes in reporting on two crucial beats: Housing and Urban Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis and reporting on India's urban development, policy, and housing issues. Election Commission (EC): Offering authoritative coverage of electoral processes, policies, and the functioning of India's constitutional body responsible for conducting elections. Professional Background: Her extensive experience includes roles as a reporter and sub-editor, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the journalistic process from fieldwork to final production. Previous Role: Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she served as a dedicated reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau, where her reporting portfolio included: Culture Social Justice Housing and Urban Affairs The Election Commission beat (a consistent area of focus). Trustworthiness Damini Nath's decade-plus career at two of India's most respected and authoritative news institutions, The Indian Express and The Hindu, underscores her commitment to factual, impartial, and high-quality reporting, establishing her as a trusted and credible source for news on urban governance and electoral matters. ... Read More