A political party is in recognized as a regional party, if

The answer is B. Under the Election Commission's recognition norms that applied in the 2014 framing of this question, a party became a state party if it secured 6% of valid votes polled in the state in a general election to the Legislative Assembly or the Lok Sabha, together with the prescribed minimum seat condition. The 4% and 8% figures do not match the standard threshold.

• A (4%) is too low. It is not the recognition threshold for a state party.
• C (8%) is not the 2014-era figure. The Election Commission has revised recognition criteria since then, so do not carry any later number back into a 2014 answer.
• D fails because option B is correct.

The concept sits under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order and the ECI's power under Article 324 to recognise parties. For Mains, it links to debates on the role of regional parties in coalition politics and federal bargaining.

Trap: Aspirants remember the recognition thresholds from different years and mix them up. Anchor the answer to the year of the exam and check the seat condition as well as the vote share.