GRADE: X POLITICAL PARTIES POL.
SCIENCE
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Meaning -Political party
A political party is an association or a voluntary group of people who come together to contest elections and
hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes.
Components of a political party.
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.
Functions of political parties.
Political Parties perform various functions in a democracy as stated below:
✓ Parties contest elections. In countries like India, top party leaders choose candidates for
contesting elections.
✓ Parties put forward different policies and programmes and voters choose from them. Political
parties accommodate different views and opinions.
✓ Political 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.
✓ To run the government, political parties prepare a council of ministers by recruiting and training
the leaders.
✓ Political 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.
✓ The party which loses election plays the role of opposition. Opposition party tries to put checks
on the ruling party by constantly criticizing its policies.
✓ One of the most important functions of political parties is that they shape public opinion on
relevant issues for the proper functioning of the government and to deepen the concept of
democracy
Need /Necessity of political parties
We need political parties because without political parties:
Each candidate in the elections will be independent so no one will be able to make any promises to
the people about any major policy changes.
The government may be formed but its utility will remain uncertain.
Elected representatives will be accountable to their constituency for what they do in the locality. But
no one will be responsible for how the country will be run.
There will be no person/agency to gather different views on various issues and present them to the
government.
TYPES OF PARTY SYSTEM
ONE PARTY SYSTEM – In some countries, only one party is allowed to control and run the government.
These are called one-party systems.
In China, only the Communist Party is allowed to rule. Although, legally speaking, people are free to form
political parties, it does not happen because the electoral system does not permit free competition for power.
• We cannot consider one-party system as a good option because this is not a democratic option. 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.
TWO-PARTY SYSTEM: Three main features of a two-party system are as follows.
• Power usually changes between two parties; however other political parties may exist.
• The party that wins the majority forms the government, while the other forms the major opposition.
• Decision-making and implementation is prompt and quick.
• Such a system gives a strong and good opposition.
MULTIPARTY SYSTEM IN INDIA
• 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.
• This system also advocates coalition government and alliance politics.
• India adopted a multiparty system because:
-India is blessed with tremendous social and geographical diversity. This diversity cannot be easily
accommodated in one or two political parties.
-Because of multiparty system, variety of interests and opinions enjoy political representation.
No system is ideal for all countries and all situations. Analyse the statement with an argument.
• 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.
• For example, if India has evolved a multiparty system, it is because the social and geographical
diversity in such a large country is not easily absorbed by two or even three parties
Criteria for recognizing a party as National and State Party.
Democracies that follow a federal system all over the world tend to have two kinds of political parties: parties
that are present in only one of the federal units and parties that are present in several or all units of the
federation. Based on this we have:
NATIONAL PARTY STATE PARTY
There are some countrywide parties, which are Most of the major parties of the country are
called ‘national parties’. These parties have classified by the Election Commission as ‘State
their units in various states. But by and large, parties’. These are commonly referred to as
all these units follow the same policies, regional parties. Yet these parties need not be
programmes and strategy that is decided at the regional in their ideology or outlook.
national level.
A party that secures at least 6% of the total A party that secures at least 6% of the total
votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly votes in an election to the Legislative
elections in 4 States and wins at least 4 seats Assembly of a State and wins at least 2 seats
in the Lok Sabha is recognized as a national is recognised as a State party.
party.
According to this classifi cation, there are six Parties like the Samajwadi Party and
recognized national parties in the country as Rashtriya Janata Dal have national level
per notification of the Election Commission political organization with units in several
of India issued in 2023. They are: states.
(1) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
-Some of these parties like
(2) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
Biju Janata Dal,
(3) Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)
(4) Communist Party of India -Marxist Sikkim Democratic Front,
(CPIM) Mizo National Front and
(5) Indian National Congress (INC) Telangana Rashtra Samithi are conscious
(6) National People’s Party (NPP) about their State identity.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): Formed on 26 November 2012, following the 2011 anti-corruption movement.
The party was founded on the idea of accountability, clean administration, transparency and good
governance.
• In the year after its formation, AAP emerged as the second largest party in the Delhi Legislative
Assembly election.
• It formed a government with the support of Indian National Congress (INC).
• It also emerged as the third front in the politics of Gujarat after 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly
election. Presently, AAP formed governments in Punjab and Delhi.
• In the Lok Sabha election held in 2019, it secured one seat in the Lok Sabha.
Bahujan Samaj Party: The national political party which draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of
Sahu Maharaj. Its ideology is:
• It wants to secure the interest and welfare of the dalits and oppressed classes.
• It seeks to represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj which includes dalits, adivasis, OBCs
and religious minorities.
• It draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Mahatma Phule, Periyar, Ramaswami Naicker and
Dr Ambedkar.
• Its main base is in Uttar Pradesh.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) : gets its inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values. Its ideology is
as follows:
• It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
• It wants a uniform civil code for all people living in the country, irrespective of religion.
• It wants a ban on religious conversions.
• Hindutva or cultural nationalism is an important element in its conception of politics.
Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M): Founded i n 1 9 6 4 . B e l i e v e s in Marxism-Leninism.
Supports s o c i a l i s m , s e c u l a r i s m a n d 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, especially among the poor, factory
workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and the intelligentsia.
• Critical of the new economic policies that allow free flow of foreign capital and goods into the
country.
• Was in power in West Bengal without a break for 34 years. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it won
about 1.75 per cent of votes and 3 seats.
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. Played a dominant role in Indian politics at the
national and state level for several decades after India’s Independence. Under the leadership of Jawaharlal
Nehru, the party sought to build a modern secular democratic republic in India. 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, cutting across social divisions.
• A centrist party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation, the party espouses secularism
and welfare of weaker sections and minorities.
• The INC supports new economic reforms but with a human face.
• Leader of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004 to 2019. In the 2019 Lok
Sabha election, it won 19.5% votes and 52 seats.
National People’s Party (NPP): Formed in July 2013 under the leadership of P.A Sangma. NPP is the first
political party from North East India to have attained the status of a national party.
• It believes in diversity of the country and recognizes that different regions have different developmental
challenges.
• The core philosophy of the party is education and employment to all as well as empowerment of all
sections of the society.
• It formed government in Meghalaya and has presence in many of North Eastern States.
• In the Lok Sabha election held in 2019, NPP secured one seat in the Lok Sabha.
Challenges faced by political parties in India.
A challenge is a difficulty that carries with it an opportunity for progress. As political parties are the essence
of democracy, it is natural that they are often blamed for the failure of any policy or the working of democracy.
Mostly, political parties face four challenges in their working area such as the following:
LACK OF INTERNAL DEMOCRACY: The first challenge is lack of internal democracy. Parties do not
keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal elections
regularly.
-Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what happens inside the party.
-More than loyalty to party principles and policies, personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important.
DYNASTIC SUCCESSION: The second challenge is of dynastic succession. Ordinary workers do not
have any chance to rise to the top in a party.
-In many parties’ top positions are always controlled by members of one family. This is unfair to other
members of that party.
-This is also bad for democracy as people who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to
occupy positions of power.
ROLE OF MONEY AND MUSCLE POWER: The third challenge is about the growing role of money
and muscle power in parties. Since parties are focused only on winning elections, they tend to use shortcuts.
-Rich people and companies give funds and influence the policies and decisions of the party.
- In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
LACK OF MEANINGFUL CHOICES: Challenge to provide meaningful choice to the voters. Nowadays
almost all the parties seem to be similar. There is no significant difference based on ideology or programs
and policies.
-Those who want a real change have no option. Sometimes people cannot even elect very different leaders
either, because the same set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another.
Recent efforts made in India to reform political parties : The following are the institutional
amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders.
• ANTI-DEFECTION LAW: The anti-defection law was passed to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from
changing their parties.
-It was seen that many MLAs and MPs were changing their parties for personal gains.
-Now, according to the law, if any MLA or MP changes his/her party, his/her seat in the legislature will
be lost. Also, MLAs and MPs have to accept whatever the party leaders decide.
• AFFIDAVIT: To reduce the influence of money and muscle power (criminals), an order has been passed
by the Supreme Court making it mandatory for every candidate contesting election to file an affidavit
giving details of his/her property and criminal records.
-This system has helped in making a lot of information available to the public.
-But, we cannot say that this amendment has been successful as it cannot be said that information
provided by the candidates is true.
• MANDATORY ORGANISATIONAL MEETING AND FILING OF INCOMETAX RETURNS: An
order has been passed by the Election Commission making it mandatory for political parties to hold their
organisational elections and file their income tax returns. The parties have started doing this, but
sometimes it is only a formality. It is not clear if this step has brought some reform or not.
Suggestions to reform and strengthen democracy.
• 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 constitution, to act as a judge in
case of party disputes, to hold open elections to the highest posts.
• It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets to women.
Similarly, a 33% quota for women can be fixed in the decision-making bodies of the party.
• There should be state funding of elections. The government should give parties money to support
their election expenses.
• People can put pressure on political parties through petitions, publicity and agitations.
• Political parties can improve if those who want this join political parties.
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