Decoding the Abbreviations in Indian Politics
NDA, BSP, UPA, BJP, TDP, CPI(M). Are you stumped by some of these abbreviations?
You’re not alone. As the campaigns for India’s 2009 general election gather momentum, anybody who’s not familiar with the intricacies of Indian politics will need a cheat sheet. In mutilingual India, where multiple parties and coalitions are the norm, abbreviations, symbols and acronyms come in handy for the electorate as easy-to-understand labels.
Here’s an incomplete list in no particular order:
INLD: Indian National Lok Dal
UPA: United Progressive Alliance
NDA: National Democratic Alliance
UF: United Front
UNPA: United National Progressive Alliance
BJP: Bharatiya Janata Party
BSP: Bahujan Samaj Party
CPI(M): Communist Party of India (Marxist)
NPF: Nagaland People’s Front
TDP: Telugu Desam Party
TRS: Telangana Rashtra Samithi
AIADMK: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
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