BHAVAN’S PUBLIC SCHOOL, DOHA, QATAR

SOCIAL SCIENCE

Class 10 Political Science

Chapter 6
Political Parties
Prepared by
RADHESH RAMACHANDRAN

Notes
What is a Political Party?
A political party is an organized group of people who have the same ideology or who
otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates for elections, to get
them elected and thereby implement their agenda. Political parties are a defining element of
representative democracy.

They are one of the most visible institutions in a democracy and are responsible for how a
country is run. They take decisions for collective good and are representative of its citizens.
This also involves Partisanship. Therefore, a party is known by which part it stands for,
which policies it supports and whose interests it upholds. A political party has three
components:

1. The leaders
2. The active members
3. The followers

Functions of Political Parties

1 Parties contest elections.

In most democracies, elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by political
parties. Parties select their candidates in different ways. In some countries, such as the USA,
members and supporters of a party choose its candidates. Now more and more countries are
following this method. In other countries like India, top party leaders choose candidates for
contesting elections.

2 Policies And Programmes.

Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters choose from them. Each
of us may have different opinions and views on what policies are suitable for the society. But
no government can handle such a large variety of views. In a emocracy, a large number of
similar opinions have to be grouped together to provide a direction in which policies can be
formulated by the governments. This is what the parties do. A party reduces a vast multitude
of opinions into a few basic positions which it supports.
A government is expected to baseits policies on the line taken by the RULING PARTY.

3 Making Laws

Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country. Formally, laws are debated and
passed in the legislature. But since most of the members belong to a party, they go by the
direction of the party leadership, irrespective of their personal opinions.

4 Parties form and run governments.

As we noted last year, the big policy decisions are taken by political executive that comes
from the political parties. Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers to
run the government in the way they want.

5 Role Of Opposition

Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the parties in power, by
voicing different views and criticising government for its failures or wrong policies.
Opposition parties also mobilise opposition to the government.

6 Parties shape public opinion.

They raise and highlight issues. Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over
the country. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among
different sections of society. Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of
problems faced by people. Often opinions in the society crystallise on the lines parties take.

7 Access To Government Machinery And Welfare Schemes

Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by
governments. For an ordinary citizen it is easy to approach a local party leader than a
government officer. That is why, they feel close to parties even when they do not fully trust
them. Parties have to be responsive to people’s needs and demands. Otherwise people can
reject those parties in the next elections.

Necessity of Political Parties

They are needed as they help perform all the above functions.
Besides these, they help in representing different views on various issues to the
government.
They bring various representatives together so that a responsible government could be
formed.
They fulfil the needs of a representative government in a democratic setup.
How many Parties should we have?
In a democracy any group of citizens is free to form a political party.
Any democratic system must allow at least two parties to compete in elections and
provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to power.

Different Party Systems

1. One-party systems- In some countries, only one party can control and run the
government. These are called one-party systems. Ex- China. This system however does not
allow for choices and is not ideal for a democracy.

2. Two- Party Systems- Under this system, several parties may exist but only two of these
have a serious chance of winning a majority of seats and forming the government. Ex- USA
and UK.

3. Multi Party System- Under this, more than two parties have a reasonable chance of
coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with others. Ex- India.

Which Party System is better?

Party system is not something any country can choose. It evolves over a long time,
depending on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, its history of politics and
its system of elections. These cannot be changed very quickly. Each country develops a party
system that is conditioned by its special circumstances. No system is ideal for all countries
and all situations. Therefore, a Party System has to be chosen as per own needs and
circumstances.

National Political Parties

Every party in the country registers with the Election Commission. While the
Commission treats all parties equally, it offers some special facilities to large and established
parties such as providing them a unique symbol.

Parties that get this privilege and some other special facilities are ‘recognized’ by the
Election Commission and are called ‘recognized political parties’. There are criteria that need
to be fulfilled for a party to qualify as a State or National Party.

The Election Commission has laid down detailed criteria of the proportion of votes and seats
that a party must get in order to be a recognised party.

A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative
Assembly of a State and wins at least two seats is recognised as a STATE PARTY.

A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or
Assembly elections in four States and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised
as a NATIONAL PARTY.
 National Parties in India

1) All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)

Launched on 1 January 1998 under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.

Received recognition as a national party in 2016.
The party’s symbol is flowers and grass.
Committed to secularism and federalism.
Has been in power in West Bengal since 2011 and has a presence in Arunachal Pradesh,
Manipur and Tripura.
In the General Elections held in 2014, it got 3.84% votes and won 34 seats, making it the
fourth-largest party in the Lok Sabha.

2) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP):

Formed in 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram.

Seeks to represent and secure power for the Bahujan samaj which includes the Dalits,
Adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities.
Stands for the cause of securing the interests and welfare of the Dalits and oppressed
people.
It has its main base in the state of Uttar Pradesh and substantial presence in neighbouring
states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Punjab.
Formed the government in UP several times by taking the support of different parties at
different times.

3) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

 Founded in 1980, formed by Syama Prasad Mukherjee in 1951.
Wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s ancient
culture and values and Deendayal Upadhyaya’s ideas of integral humanism and Antyodaya.
Cultural nationalism (or ‘Hindutva’) is an important element in its conception of Indian
nationhood and politics.
Earlier limited to north and west and to urban areas, the party expanded its support in the
south, east, the north-east and to rural areas.
Emerged as the largest party with 282 members in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

4) Communist Party of India (CPI):

Formed in 1925. Believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy.

Opposed to the forces of secessionism and communalism.
Accepts parliamentary democracy as a means of promoting the interests of the working
class, farmers and the poor.
Significant presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu.

5) Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M):

Founded in 1964. Believes in Marxism-Leninism. Supports socialism, secularism and

democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism.
Accepts democratic elections as a useful and helpful means for securing the objective of
socio-economic justice in India.
Enjoys strong support in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.
The party was in power in West Bengal without a break for 34 years.
 In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it won about 3% of votes and 9 seats.

6) Indian National Congress (INC):

Popularly known as the Congress Party. One of the oldest parties of the world. Founded
in 1885 and has experienced many splits.
Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the party sought to build a modern secular
democratic republic in India.
The ruling party at the centre till 1977 and then from 1980 to 1989. After 1989, its
support declined, but it continues to be present throughout the country.
The party’s main idea is to promote secularism and welfare of weaker sections and
minorities.

7) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP):

Formed in 1999 following a split in the Congress party.

Supports democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice and federalism.
A major party in Maharashtra and has a significant presence in Meghalaya, Manipur and
Assam.
 State Parties

Similarly, in the states, there exist region wise parties that are known as State Parties.
Some of these parties are:

Biju Janata Dal

Sikkim Democratic Front
Mizo National Front
Telangana Rashtra Samithi
 Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded. This
made the Parliament of India politically more and more diverse. This has contributed to the
strengthening of federalism and democracy in India.

Challenges to Political Parties

LACK OF INTERNAL DEMOCRACY WITHIN PARTIES

1. All over the world there is a tendency in political parties towards the concentration of
power in one or few leaders at the top.
2. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do
not conduct internal elections regularly.
3. Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what happens
inside the party.
4. They do not have the means or the connections needed to influence the decisions. As
a result the leaders assume greater power to make decisions in the name of the party.
5. Since one or few leaders exercise paramount power in the party, those who disagree
with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.
6. More than loyalty to party principles and policies, personal loyalty to the leader
becomes more important.

CHALLENGE OF DYNASTIC SUCCESSION

1. The second challenge is related to the first one. Since most political parties do not
practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few
ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
2. Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour
people close to them or even their family members.
3. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family.
This is unfair to other members of that party.
4. This is also bad for democracy, since people who do not have adequate experience or
popular support come to occupy positions of power.
5. This tendency is present in some measure all over the world, including in some of the
older democracies.

GROWING ROLE OF MONEY AND MUSCLE POWER IN PARTIES

1. The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in parties,
especially during elections.
2. Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use short-cuts to
win elections.
3. They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money.
4. Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties tend to have influence on
the policies and decisions of the party. In some cases, parties support criminals who
can win elections.
5. Democrats all over the world are worried about the increasing role of rich people and
big companies in democratic politics.
LACK OF MEANINGFUL CHOICE TO THE VOTERS

1. The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful
choice to the voters.
2. In order to offer meaningful choice, parties must be significantly different.
3. In recent years there has been a decline in the ideological differences among parties in
most parts of the world. For example, the difference between the Labour Party and the
Conservative Party in Britain is very little.
4. They agree on more fundamental aspects but differ only in details on how policies are
to be framed and implemented.
5. In our country too, the differences among all the major parties on the economic
policies have reduced. Those who want really different policies have no option
available to them.
6. Sometimes people cannot even elect very different leaders either, because the same
set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another.

How can Parties be reformed?

a. ANTI DEFECTION LAW

The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties.
This was done because
many elected representatives were indulging in defection in order to become ministers or for
cash rewards.
Now the law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the
legislature. This new law has helped bring defection down.
At the same time this has made any dissent even more difficult. MPs and MLAs have to
accept whatever the party leaders decide.

b. The Supreme Court Order

The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals. Now, it
is mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file an affidavit giving details of
his property and criminal cases pending against him.
The new system has made a lot of information available to the public. But there is no system
of check if the information given by the candidates is true.
As yet we do not know if it has led to decline in the influence of the rich and the criminals.

c. The Election Commission Order

The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold
their organisational elections and file their income tax returns.
The parties have started doing so but sometimes it is mere formality.
It is not clear if this step has led to greater internal
democracy in political parties.

MANY SUGGESTIONSTO REFORM POLITI CAL PARTIES

1. A law to regulate the internal affairs of political parties

A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political parties.
It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a register of its members, to
follow its own constitution, to have an independent authority, to act as a judge in case of
party disputes, to hold open elections to the highest posts.

2. Minimum number of party tickets

It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about
one-third, to women candidates.
Similarly, there should be a quota for women in the decision making bodies of the party.

3. State funding of elections

There should be state funding of elections. The government should give parties money to
support their election expenses.
This support could be given in kind: petrol, paper, telephone etc. Or it could be given in cash
on the basis of the votes secured by the party in the last election.

Over-regulation of political parties can be counterproductive.

This would force all parties to find ways to cheat the law. Besides, political parties will
not agree to pass a law that they do not like.

There are two other ways in which political parties can be reformed.

1. People can put pressure on political parties. This can be done through petitions, publicity
and agitations. Ordinary citizens, pressure groups and movements and the media can
play an important role in this.
If political parties feel that they would lose public support by not taking up
reforms, they would become more serious about reforms.

2. Political parties can improve if those who want this join political parties. The quality of
democracy depends on the degree of public participation.
It is difficult to reform politics if ordinary citizens do not take part in it and simply criticise it
from the outside. The problem of bad politics can be solved by more and better politics.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [3 MARKS]

1. How do political parties shape public opinion? Explain with three examples.
Political parties shape public opinion in the following ways.
1. They highlight and raise issues.
2. Parties have lakhs of members spread all over the country. Often pressure groups are
an extension of political parties, among different sections of the society. They help in
taking up issues and forming public opinion.
3. Sometimes, parties launch movements for solving the problems faced by people.
Often the public opinion develops on the same lines that the parties take.

2. Name the national political party which gets inspiration from India’s ancient culture
and
values. Mention four features of that party.
 Bharatiya Janata Party gets its inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values. Four
features of
Bharatiya Janata Party are as follows.
1. It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
2. It wants a uniform civil code for all people living in the country, irrespective of
religion.
3. It wants a ban on religious conversions.
4. Hindutva or cultural nationalism is an important element in its conception of politics.

3. Name the national political party which espouses secularism and welfare of weaker
sections
and minorities. Mention any four features of that party.

1. National Congress Party, formed in 1999, espouses secularism and welfare of weaker
sections and minorities. Four features of this party are as follows:
2. It wants high offices in the government to be confined to natural-born citizens of the
country.
3. It stands for social justice, federalism and equity.
4. It is a major party in Maharashtra with a significant presence in Meghalaya, Manipur
and
Assam.
5. In Maharashtra, it is a coalition partner in alliance with the Congress.
6. It is a member of the United Progressive Alliance since 2004.

4. Name the national political party which draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings
of
Sahu Maharaj. Mention any four features of that party.

1. The national political party which draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of
Sahu Maharaj is Bahujan Samaj Party.Four features of this party are as follows.
2. It wants to secure the interest and welfare of the dalits and oppressed classes.
3. It seeks to represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj which includes dalits,
adivasis,
OBCs and religious minorities.
4. It draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Mahatma Phule, Periyar,
Ramaswami
Naicker and Dr Ambedkar.
5. Its main base is in Uttar Pradesh.

5. What is meant by a political party? Describe the three components of a political party.
A political party is a political association or a voluntary group of people who come
together to contest elections and hold political power in the government.
They agree on some policies and programmes. Political parties are necessary for
democracy.
 They provide an important two-way link between the government and the people.
They also unite and aggregate like-minded people from diverse backgrounds and religions
to form a wide coalition of people and provide unity in diversity.
4. The leaders
5. The active members
6. The followers

6. State the conditions laid down by the Election Commission to recognise a state party
and a national party.
STATE PARTY. A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election
to the legislative assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party.
NATIONAL PARTY. A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in lok
sabha elections or assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the lok
sabha is recognised as a national party.

7. Name the six national political parties of India in chronological order.

The following are the six national political parties of India in chronological order.
1. Indian National Congress (1885) .
2. Communist Party of India (1925)
3. Communist Party of India-Marxist (1964)
4. Bhartiya Janata Party (1980)
5. Bahujan Samaj Party (1984)
6. National Congress Party (1999)

8. Name any three national political parties along with their symbols.

1. Indian National Congress symbol: hand, palm facing the people

2. Bhartiya Janata Party symbol: a lotus
3. Bahujan Samaj Party symbol: an elephant

9. Name any six regional political parties of the four southern states of India.

1. The four southern states with regional political parties are as follows.
2. Kerala: Indian Federal Democratic Party and Kerala Congress (Mani)
3. Tamil Nadu: All India Anna DMK and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
4. Andhra Pradesh: Telugu Desam Party
5. Karnataka: Janata Dal (Secular)

10. Name the regional political parties predominant in Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand
respectively with their symbols

The regional political parties predominant in:

1. Punjab - Shiromani Akali Dal, symbol: scales
2. Haryana - Indian National Lok Dal, symbol: a pair of spectacles
3. Uttarakhand - Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, symbol: chair
 11. Name the regional political parties predominant in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and
Orissa, respectively with their symbols.

The regional political parties predominant in:

1. Jharkhand-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, symbol: bow and arrow
2. Maharashtra-Shiv Sena, symbol: bow and arrow
3. Orissa-Biju Janata Dal, symbol: conch

12. Name the regional political parties predominant in Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur,
respectively with their symbols.

The regional political parties predominant in:

1. Sikkim-Sikkim Democratic Front, symbol: an umbrella
2. Nagaland-Nagaland People’s Front, symbol: a cock
3. Manipur-Manipur People’s Party, symbol: a cycle

13. What is a multiparty system? Why has India adopted a multiparty system? Explain

A multiparty system is a political system in which several parties contest the election
to hold political power. In this system, there is a chance of two or more parties
coming to power.

1. This system also advocates coalition government and alliance politics. India adopted a
multiparty system because of the following reasons.
2. India is blessed with tremendous social and geographical diversity. This diversity
cannot be easily accommodated in one or two political parties.
3. Because of multiparty system, variety of interests and opinions enjoy political
representation.

14. Lack of internal democracy within parties is the major challenge to political parties all
over the world. Analyse the statement,

1. Lack of internal democracy within political parties is a major challenge to political

parties all over the world. This statement can be analysed giving the following
reasons.
2. It is a tendency among political parties to concentrate power in the hands of one or
few top leaders.
3. Parties do not often keep membership registers and do not hold organizational
meetings and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
4. Sufficient information on what happens inside the party is not provided to the
ordinary members of the party.
5. In such a situation, personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important.

15. ‘’Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the political
parties.’’ Analyse the statement.
 The challenge of dynastic succession is undoubtedly one of the most serious challenges
before the political parties.
The statement can be analysed giving the following arguments.
1. Most parties do not practice open and transparent procedures, hence, there are very
few opportunities for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
2. Top leaders favour people close to them or even their family members. In many
parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family.
3. This is bad for democracy because people without sufficient experience or popular
support are able to enjoy positions of power.

16. How do money and muscle power play an important role in elections? Explain.

1. Nowadays elections are focused mainly on winning at any cost so parties try to use
short-cuts like money and muscle power.
2. They try to select or nominate those candidates who can raise money or provide
muscle power.
3. Sometimes, wealthy people and big companies also get involved in the democratic
politics for their own interest and influence decision-making process.
4. In many cases, candidates with criminal records, who can win elections, are
supported.
17. ‘’Serious efforts were made by the legal organisations to reform political parties in
India.’’ Support the statement.
Serious efforts were made by the legal organisations to reform political parties in India.
The following points support the statement.
1. The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for the candidates contesting elections to
produce an affidavit giving details of property and cases pending against them. It is
hoped that this will reduce the influence of money and muscle power in elections.
2. Anti-defection law has been passed by amending the constitution to prevent elected
MLAs
and MPs from changing their parties.
3. The Election Commission has made it mandatory for the political parties to hold
organisational elections and file their income tax returns.

18. Describe any three main features of a two-party system

Three main features of a two-party system are as follows.

1. Power usually changes between two parties, while other political parties may exist.
2. The party that wins the majority forms the government, while the other forms the
major opposition.
3. Decision-making and implementation is prompt and quick.
4. Such a system gives a strong and good opposition.
 19. What is meant by a national political party? State the conditions required to be a
national political party.

1. A national political party is a party that is present in several or all units of the
federation. In other words, it is a country-wide party. It has its units in various states.
By and large, all these units follow the same policies. The following are the
conditions required for a party to become a national party.
2. A party has to secure at least six per cent of total votes polled in the Lok Sabha
elections or Assembly elections in four states.
3. It has to win at least four seats in the Lok Sabha to be recognised as a national party

20. ‘’Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be part of one or
the other national-level coalition.’’ Support the statement with arguments

Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be part of one or the
other national level coalition because:
1. The members of the state party get a chance of being included in the cabinet or the
council of ministers.
2. state parties get an opportunity and a platform to express their views and ideology at
the national level.
3. it helps in strengthening of federalism and democracy, and thus bringing diversity in
the parliament.

21. What is meant by a regional party? State the conditions required to be recognised as a
regional political party.

1. A regional party, also called a state party, is a political party which takes care of
regional
concerns and state’s interests only. It happens to have succeeded only in some states
units of the federation.
2. The following are the conditions required for a party to be recognised as a regional
party.

3. A party has to secure at least six per cent of the total votes polled in the election to the
legislative assembly of a state. It has to win at least two seats in the election to the
legislative assembly of . a state to be recognised as a state or regional party.

22. Analyse the three components of a political party.

The following are the three elements of a political party.

The leaders: The leaders contest elections and, if they win, perform the administrative
jobs.
The active members: The active members attend party meetings and are close to the party
leaders. They can be called the assistants of the leaders.
 The followers: The followers are the dedicated workers of the party. They work under the
able guidance of the active members.

23. ‘’No party system is ideal for all countries and all situations.’’ Justify the statement
with arguments.

No party system is ideal for all countries and all situations. This statement can be justified
giving the following arguments.
1. A one-party system cannot be considered a good option because the voters do not
have any choice and it is not a democratic option.
2. A two-party system cannot be considered ideal for a country because in this system,
power usually shifts from one party to the other. Several other parties with better
programmes and policies may exist, contest elections and win a few seats, but only the two
party have serious chance of forming government.
3. A multiparty system also cannot be considered a good option because it often appears
messy and leads to political instability. In this system the government is formed by
various parties and ideologies coming together which may further raise issues and
conflicts.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [5 MARKS]

24. ‘’Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy.’’ Analyse the statement
with examples.

In a democratic set-up, political parties are required because without political parties:
1. Every candidate in the elections will be independent. No promises could be made and
the Utility of the government formed will remain uncertain.
2. No one will be responsible for running the country. Elected representatives will only
be accountable to their constituency
3. there will be no agency to gather and present different views on various issues to the
government. no one will be responsible for bringing various representatives together
so as to form a responsible government.
4. there will be no mechanism to support the government, make policies and justify or
oppose them.

25. Suggest and explain any five measures to reform political parties.

a. ANTI DEFECTION LAW

The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties.
This was done because many elected representatives were indulging in defection in order to
become ministers or for cash rewards.
Now the law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the
legislature. This new law has helped bring defection down.
At the same time this has made any dissent even more difficult. MPs and MLAs have to
accept whatever the party leaders decide.
b. The Supreme Court Order
The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals. Now, it
is mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file an affidavit giving details of
his property and criminal cases pending against him.
The new system has made a lot of information available to the public. But there is no system
of check if the information given by the candidates is true.
As yet we do not know if it has led to decline in the influence of the rich and the criminals.

c. The Election Commission Order

The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold
their organisational elections and file their income tax returns.
The parties have started doing so but sometimes it is mere formality.
It is not clear if this step has led to greater internal democracy in political parties.

MANY SUGGESTIONSTO REFORM POLITI CAL PARTIES

1. A law to regulate the internal affairs of political parties

A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political parties.
It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a register of its members, to
follow its own constitution, to have an independent authority, to act as a judge in case of
party disputes, to hold open elections to the highest posts.

2. Minimum number of party tickets

It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about
one-third, to women candidates.
Similarly, there should be a quota for women in the decision making bodies of the party.

3. State funding of elections

There should be state funding of elections. The government should give parties money to
support their election expenses.
This support could be given in kind: petrol, paper, telephone etc. Or it could be given in cash
on the basis of the votes secured by the party in the last election.

Over-regulation of political parties can be counterproductive.

This would force all parties to find ways to cheat the law. Besides, political parties will
not agree to pass a law that they do not like.

26. Examine any two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform
political parties and their leaders.

a. ANTI DEFECTION LAW

The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties.
This was done because
many elected representatives were indulging in defection in order to become ministers or for
cash rewards.
Now the law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the
legislature. This new law has helped bring defection down.
At the same time this has made any dissent even more difficult. MPs and MLAs have to
accept whatever the party leaders decide.

b. The Supreme Court Order

The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals. Now, it
is mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file an affidavit giving details of
his property and criminal cases pending against him.
The new system has made a lot of information available to the public. But there is no system
of check if the information given by the candidates is true.
As yet we do not know if it has led to decline in the influence of the rich and the criminals.

c. The Election Commission Order

The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold
their organisational elections and file their income tax returns.
The parties have started doing so but sometimes it is mere formality.
It is not clear if this step has led to greater internal democracy in political parties.

27. Describe any five major functions of political parties

1 Parties contest elections.

In most democracies, elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by political
parties. Parties select their candidates in different ways. In some countries, such as the USA,
members and supporters of a party choose its candidates. Now more and more countries are
following this method. In other countries like India, top party leaders choose candidates for
contesting elections.

2 Policies And Programmes.

Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters choose from them. Each
of us may have different opinions and views on what policies are suitable for the society. But
no government can handle such a large variety of views. In a emocracy, a large number of
similar opinions have to be grouped together to provide a direction in which policies can be
formulated by the governments. This is what the parties do. A party reduces a vast multitude
of opinions into a few basic positions which it supports.
A government is expected to baseits policies on the line taken by the RULING PARTY.

3 Making Laws

Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country. Formally, laws are debated and
passed in the legislature. But since most of the members belong to a party, they go by the
direction of the party leadership, irrespective of their personal opinions.

4 Parties form and run governments.

As we noted last year, the big policy decisions are taken by political executive that comes
from the political parties. Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers to
run the government in the way they want.

5 Role Of Opposition

Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the parties in power, by
voicing different views and criticising government for its failures or wrong policies.
Opposition parties also mobilise opposition to the government.

6 Parties shape public opinion.

They raise and highlight issues. Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all
over the country. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among
different sections of society. Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of
problems faced by people. Often opinions in the society crystallise on the lines parties take.

7 Access To Government Machinery And Welfare Schemes

Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by
governments. For an ordinary citizen it is easy to approach a local party leader than a
government officer. That is why, they feel close to parties even when they do not fully trust
them. Parties have to be responsive to people’s needs and demands. Otherwise people can
reject those parties in the next elections.
28. ‘’About hundred years ago there were few countries that had hardly any political
party. Now there are few countries that do not have political parties.’’ Examine the statement.

The statement has two parts.

1. About a hundred years ago, there were few countries that had hardly any political
party. It shows that very few countries were democratic countries and if they were not
democracies, there was no need for political parties.
2. Now there are few countries that do not have political parties. In the last
hundred years many countries became independent from colonial control. After
independence, they adopted democratic governments. So there was an increasing
necessity for political parties.
The political parties have become very important in a democratic country because of the
following reasons.
1. Not having political parties will lead to chaos and turmoil in the society. It will be
against democratic principles.
2. Without parties, candidates elected will be independent and will not be able to make
policies.
3. They will not be responsible and accountable to the people.
4. The existence of parties in a democracy ensures that a country runs as per its policies
and ideologies and have a government which is answerable to the people.
 29. How is dynastic succession a major challenge for political parties in India? Explain.
6. The second challenge is related to the first one. Since most political parties do not
practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few
ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
7. Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour
people close to them or even their family members.
8. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family.
This is unfair to other members of that party.
9. This is also bad for democracy, since people who do not have adequate experience or
popular support come to occupy positions of power.
10. This tendency is present in some measure all over the world, including in some of the
older democracies.
30. How do state or regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and
democracy in India? Explain with examples.

State and regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy
in India in the following ways.
1. They provide a variety of choice to people as each of them has different agendas and
focus on different issues.
2. They provide a platform for different pressure and social groups, and communities to
put forward their demands.
3. They help in power sharing by sharing power of government with the help of coalition
government.

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
Answer these in your notebook and submit

1. “Modern democracies cannot exist without political parties.” Evaluate the statement
with the help of relevant arguments.
2. Explain the functions of the opposition parties.
3. The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of representative
democracy. Justify the statement.
4. Differentiate between one-party and two-party systems.
5. Why is one party political system not considered a good option in a democratic
system?
6. What is a multiparty system? Give reasons why the multi-party system has evolved in
India.
7. “All over the world, people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of political
parties to perform their functions well.” Analyze the statement with arguments.
8. Illustrate the situations which display a lack of internal democracy within a political
party.
9. Elucidate some of the recent efforts taken in our country to reform political parties
and their leaders.
10. Suggest and explain any five ways to reform political parties in India.