What is Regional Party?
In the political sense, the term “regional party” applies to a political party concerned with a specific region’s politics and issues. A number of indicators define a regional party. Regional parties are particularly focused on the demands and issues of a specific area. Regional political leaders are individuals well aware of a region’s demography, political scenario, and problems. Such parties enjoy less popularity.
Such parties may or may not enjoy power and popularity in the region they are focused on. It is not mandatory for a political party to work in a given regional sphere to be termed a regional party. Mostly these parties operate on the state level. Yet, they function as mouthpieces for the inhabitants of a particular region. For example, Manipur People’s Party in India and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement in Pakistan.
The formation of a regional party is, in most cases, necessitated by the marginalization of a people, the diminishment of a particular culture, or the lack of representation of that region. The primary tool of such parties is to prepare the ground for identity politics. They highlight a specific regional identity and try to step up in the hierarchy of power.
What is National Party?
The term “national party” is used for political parties that operate at the national level and represent all factions and cultures of a nation equally. Their political manifesto is multidimensional and relatively more comprehensive. They make political agendas encompassing the nation as a whole. Such parties win public support by hinging on the grounds of similarities among different subregions of a country.
National parties incorporate political representatives from all parts of the nation and promise equal opportunities for the natives of all regions. They try to come up with general developmental plans to attract support and popularity. A mainstream national party is backed by decades of struggle by its committed leaders. For example, BJP and Congress in India and Pakistan People’s Party in Pakistan.
Such parties are formed to address the needs of all nations and are formed by leaders of extraordinary fame and credibility. They have far-reaching political narratives and durable political instruments to put their ideology into practice. Such parties are more frequent in forming the central government. In every country, a few mainstream national parties compete in the power struggle.
Difference Between Regional Party and National Party
- A regional party is a political body confined to a region, whereas a national party operates on the national level.
- A regional party is focused on the politics of a region, whereas a national party represents the whole nation.
- A regional party does not form the central government, whereas a national party forms the government in the center.
- A regional party uses identity to make political narratives, whereas a national party’s narrative is based on nationalism.
- A regional party has lesser popularity in a country, whereas a national party enjoys extended popularity throughout the country.
Comparison Between Regional Party and National Party
| Parameter of Comparison | Regional Party | National Party |
| Definition | A political specific to a particular region | A political party operating on the national level |
| Scope | Narrower | Broader |
| Governance | Provincial Government | Central Government |
| Narrative | Identity Politics/Provincialism | Nationalism |
| Popularity | Lesser | Greater |