MNS - MAHARASHTRA NAVNIRMAN SENA

In 2001 Balasaheb Thackeray appointed his son Uddhav Thackeray as his political successor, thereby bypassing his nephew Raj Thackeray. In January 2006, Raj Thackeray resigned from the Shiv Sena to form the Maharashtra NavNirman Sena (MNS).

The main agenda of the MNS includes but is not restricted to:

- It is committed to raising the status of Maharashtra State, its people and the Marathi language

- It is concerned about the State of Maharashtra and its cultural and material prosperity.

- It will bring people of Maharashtra together irrespective of caste, religion, sect or class for the development of Maharashtra

- It will strive to resolve all problems that obstruct the development of Maharashtra State and the Marathi Manus and will engage at all levels.

SHIV SENA

The Shiv Sena was founded in 1966 by the journalist-cartoonist turned mass-leader, Balasaheb Thackeray, soon after the creation of a unilingual Maharashtra in 1960. He led the party as 'pramukh' (party leader) till his passing away in November 2012.

The Shiv Sena has provided the people of Maharashtra with a sense of identity and unity. It has dominated the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai, Pune as well as rural council for considerable periods.

The Shiv Sena manifesto includes and is not restricted to:

- Address the issue of farmer suicides in Maharashtra caused by their inabililty to repay loans

- Stop electricity load shedding in Maharashtra

- Resolve the issue of backlog of cases in Maharashtra's courts by appointing more judges and providing them with administrative support

- Control inflation and provide daily goods and food at affordable prices

- Provide free and compulsory education paying special attention to the needs of the girl child and disabled children

- Provide affordable housing and access to toilets

- Facilitate programs to further arts, culture and sports in the state

- Reduce pollution, create well-planned suburbs, improve public transport and tighten traffic norms in the city

TELEGU DESAM

The Telegu Desam was founded in 1983 by Dr. N. T. Ramarao to safeguard the interests of Telegu speaking people. Its primary ideology is that of regionalism. Dr. N. T. Ramarao was succeded by Chandrababu Naidu in 1995.

The Telegu Desam program manifesto supports

- Promotion of Telegu culture, literature and language

- Promotion of agriculture as a profitable and revenue making activity 

- Preservation of natural resources

- Youth empowerment through skill training, cultural and sports activities

- Provision of civic amenities in rural areas including electricity and health care

- Empowerment of women

- Subsidised food grains

- Electoral and administrative reforms

- Empowerment of traditional artisans and other rural occupational communities

AKALI DAL

The Akali Dal is a Sikh political party present prominently in Punjab. It is the political arm of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee, and hence is considered to be the keeper of the Sikh community's political interest. It is a preindependence institution founded in 1920.

Its program includes:

- Cooperative federalism

- Assimilation of Punjabi speaking areas such as Chandigarh into Punjab state.

- Safeguards for minority communities

- Socio-economic development

AIADMK

ALL INDIA ANNA DRAVIDA MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM (AIADMK)

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was established as a splinter group of the DMK. Its mentor was M. G, Ramchandran, and after his death, the party was led by Late J. Jayalalitha. Under the leadership of late J. Jayalalitha, the party swept aside all the opposition in the Assembly Elections. The AIADMK and DMK hav been acquiring power in the state more or less alternatively.

The main objectives of these two parties are to build Tamil identity and are both anti-Brahmin. They favor autonomy for the state of Tamil Nadu, want to establish Tamil as the state language and English as the official language. 

DMK

DRAVIDA MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM (DMK)

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was founded by C. N. Annadurai. It first obtained Parliamentary Representation in 1957 when it gained two seats. By 1967 it became the strongest party in Tamil Nadu. It was able to form a non congress party government in the state. However, DMK suffered a set back in 1972 with the formation of AIADMK 

SAMAJWADI PARTY

The Samajwadi Party is an Uttar Pradesh based political party. It was founded by Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1992 following the fragmentation of Janata Dal. Its ideology is 'Democracy, Socialism and Secularism'. The Party's vote bank comprises of Other Backward Classes including Mulayam Singh's Yadav caste and the Muslim community in the State.

KEY PROGRAMME

- Focus on young voters through promise of laptops and tablets for students and lifting the ban on student politics

- Reservations for backward religious minorities

- Inquiry into corruption, improved education and Improvement in standard of living through better civic amenities. 

NATIONAL CONFERENCE - POLITICAL PARTY, INDIA

The All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference was started by Sheikh Abdullah to fight the autocratic rule of the Maharaja. In 1952, Sheikh Abdullah accepted the accession of the State into India. He became the Chief Minister, and after him, his son Farooq Abdullah formed the ministry with Congress support. The present leader of the National Conference is Omar Abdullah. The main ideology of the National Conference is to prevent militant activity, and it stands for democratic and secular principles.