State Based Political Parties

State based political parties of Uttarakhandplay a very important role in the political scenario of the state. State level parties are important players in the coalitions created in the formation of the state assembly. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and the Samajwadi Party are the biggest names among the state based political parties at Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), also known as the Uttarakhand Revolution Party, is the most important of all state based political parties in Uttarakhand. The party was established in 1979 with the demand to form a separate state in the Himalayas. Their endeavor finally met with success when the separate state of Uttarakhand was created n 2000. Although it has not been able to live up to its promise as the single largest voice for the inhabitants of the mountain regions of Uttarakhand, it still continues to fight for the several demands and the issues raised by the inhabitants of the state. BD Raturi, the founding member of the party continues as the president of the party. UKD won three seats in the elections of 2007. UKD played a very important role in the formation of the State Assembly when it joined hands with BJP, who were one seat short in getting an absolute majority in the Vidhan Sabha. Although it was thought to be incongruous to the center-left ideological position of the party that it maintained in its early state of inception, yet it attested to the political importance of the party in the political affairs of the state.

Samajwadi Party is one of the major state based political parties in Uttarakhand with a great degree of importance in the state political scenario. Along with its widespread network in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, it does have a well-functioning unit in Uttarakhand as well.