Indian Parties

It’s Time To PARTY

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Publication: The Times Of India - Chennai; Date:2009 Apr 16; Section:Dance Of Democracy; Page Number: 9

It’s Time To PARTY India is a land of overwhelming numbers and mindboggling diversity. And its political parties aptly reflect both. There’s a party for all shades of views and all causes in India. And that’s not all. Parties keep splitting and merging. It’s not surprising, therefore, for people to lose track of the parties that shape our political firmament. To help you make sense of it all, TOI presents a primer on the major political parties that are in the fray this time. We hope this rough guide will make your choice easier and more informed

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Origin and description: Founded in 1972 by matinee idol M G Ramachandran who revolted against DMK chief Karunanidhi. MGR walked out and formed Anna DMK, taking his followers away from core Dravidian principles. Was the first regional party to join the Centre in 1979 Current Leadership: Led by J Jayalalithaa, 61, who has emerged as MGR’s heir Performance: Best; 1998 —18 seats. Worst; 1996 & 2004 — 0 seats Prospects: Expected to do well. The extent of its success will be one of the factors that decides which combination of forces forms the government

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Origin and political description: Three regional Congress bosses, Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra, P A Sangma in Meghalaya and Tariq Anwar in Bihar revolted against Sonia Gandhi’s leadership on her foreign origin in 1999. They were expelled from the party and formed NCP. NCP calls itself progressive and secular, its economic thinking is populist Current leadership: Sharad Pawar Best: Nine seats in 2004 in alliance with Congress; worst: Seven in 1999 Prospects: It’s support to Congress is vital for UPA to retain power. But Pawar has also been flirting with third front

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Trinamool Congress Origin and political description: Mamata Banerjee, expelled from Congress over differences with senior leaders, estblished the party in 1997. It’s a populist, staunch anti-CPM, party that has supped with both BJP and Congress in West Bengal Current leadership: Mamata Banerjee Best: 1998, seven seats; Worst: 2004, one seat as part of NDA Prospects: Has electoral alliance with Congress and likely to pose a major challenge to CPM. After driving out Tata Nano from Singur, and Nandigram agitation, Mamata has positiopositioned herself for growing non-Left votes

Samajwadi Party (SP) Origin and political description: SP began in 1992, after Janata Dal, that had lived its dream moment as bulwark of anti-Congressism, began to come apart. Party draws strength from post-Mandal, postAyodhya mobilization of OBCs, especially Yadavs & Muslims of UP Current leadership: Mulayam Singh Yadav Best: 35 MPs in 2004; worst: 16 MPs in 1996 Prospects: Likely to lose its 2004 tally but may get enough MPs to remain relevant. Its fourth front experiment may get it a crucial role in a ‘kichdee’ government at the Centre

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Origin and political description: In 1997, when Sharad Yadav, then president of Janata Dal, expelled his predecessor Lalu Prasad over corruption charges. The party’s mass base has traditionally been Yadavs and Muslims — relatively united political segments of Bihar’s population Current leadership: Lalu Prasad Best: 21 LS seats in 2004; Worst: 7 in 1999 Prospects: With its see-saw performance graph and poor performance in the 2005 assembly elections, RJD isn’t expected to match its 2004 show. But may still remain relevant

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Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Origin and political description: In 2000, after Ramvilas Paswan broke free from JD(U). Political chameleon, Paswan has been in power with both BJP-led NDA and Congress-led UPA governments Current leadership: Ramvilas Paswan Best Performance: 4 seats in the first LS elections it contested in Bihar, 2004 Prospects: As part of fourth front, aims to be kingmaker. LJP has considerable following among Bihar Dalits. How the alliance with RJD works in Bihar remains to be seen

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Origin and political description: Devi Lal’s son Om Prakash Chautala founded the party in 1999. It’s a pro-farmer, populist party restricted to Haryana in terms of mass base Current leadership: Om Prakash Chautala, Abhay Chautala Best: 1999, five seats; worst: Zero in 2004 Prospects: Having learned from its past blunders, the party hopes to recover some of the lost territory now that its alliance with BJP is off the ground

Shiv Sena Origin and political description: Even after Maharashtra was carved out of Bombay presidency in 1960, economic clout remained with Gujaratis and Marwaris. White-collar jobs were cornered by Tamils. Balasaheb Thackeray began the son-of-soil campaign for jobs for Marathis and created Shiv Sena in 1966 on this plank Current leadership: Balasaheb Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray Best: 1999: 15 seats; Worst: It went without win in several LS elections Prospects: Hopes antiincumbency will kick in. If it does, could be a key player

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Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Origin and political description: Founded in 1997, after Janata Dal patriarch Biju Patnaik’s son Naveen broke the party to float BJD. It’s a populist party that ended its 11-year-old marriage with BJP to flirt with the Left and the third Front Current leadership: Naveen Patnaik Best: 2004, 11 seats; Worst: 1998, 9 seats Prospects: Is hobnobbing with third fronters like CPM, CPI and NCP, but also keeps options open as the state will see triangular contests between BJD, Congress

Communist Party of India (M) Origin and political description: Formed in 1964, as a result of the struggle against revisionism and sectarianism within Indian communists represented by CPI. It remains anti-economic reforms, secular-progressive Current leadership: Prakash Karat Best: 2004, 43 MPs; worst: 1967, 19 MPs Prospects: Expected to suffer big losses in its strongholds of West Bengal and Kerala; but the setbacks may still not thwart the party’s ambition to play kingmaker again

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Origin and political description: Formed in 1972. JMM became politically significant after it won three LS seats in 1989 and later bailed out P V Narasimha Rao’s minority government in 1992. Like other parties in Jharkhand, JMM grew out of demand for separate Jharkhand state. It’s part of UPA Leadership: Shibu Soren Best: 6 LS seats in 1991; Worst: No score in 1998 and 1999 Prospects: Downhill after party boss Shibu Soren threw in the towel to a virtual unknown Raja Peter in January 2009 assembly bypolls

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Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Origin and political description: Former Union minister Ajit Singh floated RLD in 1999. It’s a maverick party that believes in shifting alliances in the ever-changing political landscape. Initially spurned BJP’s advances and later joined it Current leadership: Ajit Singh Best: Three seats in 2004. Worst: Two seats in 1999 Prospects: Represents western UP Jats. RLD is strong in seven seats and likely to improve its tally thanks to its pre-poll alliance with BJP. Had contested the 2004 polls in alliance

Janata Dal (Secular) Origin and description: One of the rumps of the original Janata Dal, JD(S) came into being in 1999 after a section of the leadership broke away to form JD(U) and join NDA. Influence restricted to Karnataka, mainly among Vokkaliga caste. Current leadership: Ruled by the Gowda clan, former PM H D Deve Gowda and son Kumaraswamy Performance: Best; 2004 — 3 seats. Worst; 1999 — 1 seat Prospects: Expected to more or less retain its 2004 tally, could influence results in certain pockets of Karnataka

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Origin and political description: K Chandrashekar Rao, a grassroots leader, quit TDP to form TRS in 2001, making it a vehicle for a separate Telangana state. Won five LS and 26 assembly seats in 2004 on the issue of separatism. It then joined UPA, ensuring Telangana was mentioned in CMP. When UPA failed to create Telanagana, TRS withdrew support to the government Current leadership: K Chandrashekar Rao Performance: Contested only once, in 2004 Prospects: Good, considering it will gain from continuing its separate Telangana campaign

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Indian National Congress (INC) Origin and political description: Founded by A O Hume in 1885, Congress led the freedom struggle, going on to become the premier party of independent India. But it has since lost its pre-eminence because it’s no more seen as the ‘banyan’ which represents the interests of different sections of society. It’s a Centrist party that sways between economic right and political left Current leadership: Sonia Gandhi Best performance: 404 MPs in 1984; worst performance: 112 in 1998 Prospects: Leading the UPA, it hopes to again emerge as the rallying point of ‘secular’ forces

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) Origin and political description: Founded by S Ramadoss in the late 1980s, PMK is a caste-based party representing the OBC Vanniyar community in Tamil Nadu. It means ‘Toiling People’s Party’. As a party representing a particular caste, PMK’s strength multiplies when it aligns with a major party Current leadership: S Ramadoss is supreme leader Performance: Best; 2004 — 6 seats. Worst; 1989, 91 & 96 — 0 seats Prospects: After maximizing its gains in alliance with DMK, party has switched sides and is now in the Jaya camp

Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Origin and political description: Formed in 1985, after the historic Rajiv Gandhi-authored Assam Accord. Its leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was elected youngest CM of the country. Its agenda initially was student agitation against illegal infiltration of Bangladeshis. AGP is now part of BJP-led NDA. It was earlier in the United Front govt Current leadership: Chandra Mohan Patowary Best: 5 seats in 1996; worst: 0 in 1998 and 1999 Prospects: Got only 2 seats in 2004 general elections. Tally expected to go up

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National Conference (NC) Origin and political description: Founded in 1939 by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. It’s a left of centre party that broke away from Muslim Conference after Sheikh met Jawaharlal Nehru Current leadership: Omar Abdullah Best: 1999, six seats; worst: 2004, two seats Prospects: Although allied to Congress, it faces tough challenge from PDP. The party, contesting three seats in the Valley, is unlikely to improve its show as PDP looks set to retain its stronghold of Anantnag. In Srinagar, NC has fielded party patron Farooq Abdullah

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Origin and description: Founded in 1949 by C N Annadurai, DMK began as a social movement against upper caste domination in erstwhile Madras state and quickly developed a separatist agenda. Gave up demand for separate Dravida Nadu in 1962 Current Leadership: Aging party president and CM, Muthuvel Karunanidhi, firmly in control Performance: Best; 1967 25 seats. Worst; 1989 & 91 0 seat Prospects: A resurgent ADMK-PMK combine likely to significantly reduce DMK’s 2004 tally of 16 seats

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Origin and political description: BJP originated in 1980 as a successor to Bharatiya Jana Sangh which was founded in 1951. Both BJS and BJP were backed by RSS. In power at the Centre between 19982004, has governments in 6 states, and 2 more, in Bihar and Punjab, with allies. It remains a Hindu nationalist party Current leadership: PM candidate L K Advani; party chief Rajnath Singh Best: 1999, 182 seats; Worst: 1984, two seats Prospects: Neck-andneck with Congress, with a possibility of nosing ahead towards the finish

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Origin and political description: Born in 1984 when Kanshi Ram gave political shape to SC mobilization under BAMCEF and DS-4. The party has since grown in UP by adding OBCs and upper castes to its base. BSP began with abusing upper castes; now talks about Sarva Samaj or entire society Current leadership: Mayawati Performance: 2004, 19 MPs; Worst performance: Went seat-less in some elections Prospects: Mayawati could be crucial to govt formation as any party with a chunk of 30-plus MPs would in case of hung parliament

Communist Party of India (CPI) Origin and political description: CPI is the oldest communist party in India established in 1925 in Kanpur. Though its influence has waned considerably down the decades, it remains devoted to socialism and communism Current ledership: A B Bardhan Best: 1967 & 1971: 23 MPs; Worst 1984, 6 MPs Prospects: Playing second fiddle to CPM, CPI faces its biggest challenge this year. Tally might be down to single digit

Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) Origin and political description: Founded in 2003, after a merger between JD(U) and Samata Party. Like its bitter political opponent RJD, JD(U) claims its roots in JP’s 1974 Sampoorna Kranti. It’s an important player in NDA Current Leadership: Sharad Yadav, Nitish Kumar Best: Eight seats in 2004 which is it’s only LS polls so far Prospects: Considering the expected decline in RJD’s seats, JD(U) quite likely to improve on its tally

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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Origin and political description: In 1920, by Sardar Sarmukh Singh. It remains a Sikh religiopolitical party, a voice of Sikh (Panthic) cause that believes in religio-politics mix Current leadership: Sukhbir Badal, Prakash Singh Badal Best: 1977, nine seats; worst: 1971, one seat Prospects: While some pollsters said SAD was likely to lose ground to Congress, the shoe tossed at P Chidambaram by an angry Sikh scribe that hit Congress’s Jagdish Tytler may help SAD

Telugu Desam Party Origin and description: Founded as an alternative to Congress in Andhra Pradesh by actor-turned-politician N T Rama Rao in 1982. Rode to power in the state within a record 9 months of formation. Party has played key role in formation of all non-Congress governments at the Centre Current Leadership: TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, son-in-law of NTR, has led the party ever since he staged a coup in 1995 Performance: Best; 1984 30. Worst; 1989 2 Prospects: Tough opponent in Cong in LS and assembly polls. Andhra seen as potential game-changer this election

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ALSO RUNNING

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Publication: The Times Of India - Chennai; Date:2009 Apr 16; Section:Dance Of Democracy; Page Number: 9

ALSO RUNNING ANDHRA PRADESH

All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) Asaduddin Owaissi represents Hyderbad (Charminar). MIM was founded in 1927. Reinvented on the plank of Muslim upliftment in 1958 by Maulana Abdul Wahid Owaisi. His son Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was LS member from 1984 to 2004; succeeded by son Asaduddin in 14th LS. In fray this time

Praja Rajyam First polls for Andhra party floated in 2008 by Telugu cinema superstar Chiranjeevi in Hyderabad. Supports formation of fourth front with Samajwadi Party. Suffered setback with accusations of selling tickets and close members quitting

WEST BENGAL

All India Forward Bloc The party founded by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 after his acrimonious exit from the Indian National Congress has had multiple fractures since Netaji’s controversial death in the 1940s. Rural Bengal is its only base with weak presence in pockets of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. In WB, new faces in fray contesting on 2 seats as part of Left

Revolutionary Socialist Party Led by Joachim Baxla. Has presence in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala, branches in 18 states. Founded in 1940, won 3 seats in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections as well. Fresh candidates this time, contesting on 3 seats as part of Left Front

MIZORAM

Mizo National Front (MNF) Represented by Pu Vanlalzawma. Founded in 1959 as Mizo Famine Front by the legendary rebel leader, P Laldenga, in protest against the Centre’s inaction during a famine in the Mizo areas of Assam state. The outfit was renamed in 1961 and remained an underground organization till the signing of the Mizoram Peace Accord in 1986. Statehood in 1987 saw Laldenga become chief minister. After a 10-year rule, MNF’s Zoramthanga lost to Congress in 2008 assembly elections. For the Lok Sabha, the fight is between MNF’s H Lallungmuana and three others — 1 Congress, 2 Independents — for the lone seat in the state

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JAMMU & KASHMIR

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Led by Mehbooba Mufti, who represented Anantnag till she resigned in January. Party founded in 1999 by her father, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed who was Union home minister when another daughter, Rubaiya, was kidnapped by militants in the early 1990s. Mehbooba not in fray this time. Candidates in Srinagar, Baramulla & Anantnag

KERALA

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) E Ahmad, MoS, external affairs, and national president, IUML represents Ponnani, Kerala. Party founded in 1948 to achieve constitutional rights for Muslims. Northern Kerala stronghold, aligned with Congress (UDF) in the state. Delimitation has changed picture, Ahmad fielded from Malappuram this time. IUML contests on 8 seats in Karnataka after a gap of 13 years

SIKKIM

Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling founded the party in 1993. For the Lok Sabha elections this time, SDF has fielded P D Rai, formerly of State Planning Commission. Ever since Chamling replaced long-serving state chief minister, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, SDF has emerged as the largest party in

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Sikkim. It has been the ruling party since 1994. In the last state elections in 2004, SDF won 31 of the 32 assembly seats

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