CLASS 10 NOTES

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Political
Parties
PRASHANT KIRAD
 PRASHANT KIRAD

political parties

Introduction

Political Party - It is a group of people who come together to

contest elections and hold power in the government

Components of a political party

The leaders

Active Members

Followers
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Functions of Political U B
Parties
exam mei ayega

P H
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Participate in electoral contests, offering choices to voters and
competing to gain power through elections.

Act as representatives of the people's interests, aggregating diverse

opinions and concerns into coherent policies and ideologies.

Mobilize citizens, raising awareness about political issues, and

encouraging participation in the political process, including voting.

Hold the ruling government accountable by monitoring their actions,

policies, and decisions, ensuring transparency and checks on power.

Form governments by winning elections, either independently or

through coalitions, and play a role in the governance process.
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Play a role in overseeing the implementation of policies and programs

initiated by the government, ensuring they align with the party's
vision.

Encourage public discourse and debates on critical issues, fostering a

healthy exchange of ideas within society.

Necessity of Political Parties

Political parties represent democracies and the citizens of

democracies.

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Political parties serve as platforms for representing a wide array of
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opinions, ideologies, and interests present in a society.

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B candidates and no political
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If there were only independent
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party :
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Difficulty in Forming Government
Lack of Coordinated Policy Framework

No one would be responsible to look after the country

More Focus on Local Issues

Enhanced Accountability of Individuals and limited to the

constituency only

E.M.A
Different Party Systems
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One - party system

Not a democratic option

It refers to a political setup where only one political party is legally

allowed to hold power, control government positions, and contest
elections.

Example - China

Two - party system

A two-party system characterizes a political landscape where two

major political parties dominate the electoral competition and
governance

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It provides clarity and stability in some aspects, it can also limit
diverse representation and the spectrum of political choices

Example - US and UK. U

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Multi - party system

A multi-party system characterizes a political landscape where

several political parties compete for power and representation.

Coalition government is observed.

Example - India.

Party system of a country evolves with time and it depends

on the nature of society, its social and religious divisons.
Currently, more than 750 parties are registered with EC of
India.
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National Parties

The country wide parties are called national parties.

There were seven national parties in the country, in 2017.

Criteria for a recognized national party

6% of votes in Lok Sabha elections OR 6% of votes in Assembly

elections in four states.

Wins at least 4 seats in Lok Sabha elections.

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Special facilities offered by EC to registered parties

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They are given a unique party symbol.

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They get a status of a political party.

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Seven National EParties E.M .A

Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)

Founded in 1980 Reviving Bhartiya Jan Sangh formed by
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in 1951

Ideology
Integral humanism and antyodaya
Integration of J&K , uniform civil code
Indian nationhood

1998 NDA in central government after 2014

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Indian National Congress ( INC)

Founded in 1885 and played a very important role in Indian politics

after Independence
Ideology
Centrist party and support new economic reforms
Build modern secular democratic republic in India

Ruling party at center till 1977 to 1989

Leader of UPA At the central Government from 2004 - 2014

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)

Founded on 1 Jan 1998
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By Mamta Banjeree

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U B Recognised National party in 2016

P H since 2011
In power in West Bengal,

Committed to
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Esecularism and federalism
34 seats in 2014 General elections 4th largest party in Lok Sabha

3.84 % votes

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

Founded on 1999

Member of UPA, since 2004

A major party in Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam

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Ideology
Promotes democracy, Gandhian, Secularism, equity and
social justice
Wants the high offices in government be confined to
natural born citizens of the country.

Communist Party of India (CPI)

Founded on 1925 got split in CPI and CPI-M in 1964
Strong pillar in left front and significant presence in Kerala, West
Bengal and Punjab
Ideology
Belives in Marxism, Leninism, secularism, and democracy.

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Opposed forces of secessionism and communalism

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Communist Party of India-U BMarxist (CPI-M)
Founded in 1964,P
H
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Strong presence in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

Was in power in West Bengal for almost 34 years continuously.
Ideology
Critical of new economic policies that allow free flow of
foreign capital and goods
Supported by poor factory workers, farmers, agriculture
labourers and intelligentsia.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)

Founded in 1984 Under leadership of Kanshi Ram
Works on the ideological base of Ambedkar, Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma
Phule and Periyar Ramaswami
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Have strong presence in U.P. and formed coalition government

several times
Seek to represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj

State Parties
All parties other than national parties are called “State
Parties” or regional parties.

Importance of State Parties

They make the federal system and democracy more strong.

Make the parliament diverse 10

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They take care of the local issues and sometimes national parties

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also take help of state parties to make government.
H Desam Party, etc.
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Examples - Shiv Sena, Telugu

Recognition of State Party

6% of votes in State Legislative Assembly OR win atleast 2 seats

E.M.A
Challenges to Political Parties

Lack of internal democracy

Concentration of power in hands of one or two top leaders

A lack of internal democracy can stifle innovation and the ability of a

party to adapt to changing societal needs or political landscapes.
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Dynastic Successions
Family leaders domination on top positions

It might discourage new entrants or ambitious individuals to join

party who feel that their opportunities for growth are limited due to
established family hierarchies.
People with less experience might come to top position which is not
good for a party
E.M.A
Money and muscle power
Excessive funds may lead to corruption within parties, fostering a
system where policies and decisions are influenced by financial
interests rather than the welfare of the populace

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Parties with substantial financial resources might dominate the
political landscape
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Lack of Meaningful Choices
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No significant difference
plans and policies.

The fundamental principles remain same.

Reformation of Political Parties

Encourage greater internal democracy within parties by promoting
transparent processes for candidate selection, policy-making, and
decision-taking.

Encourage the development of innovative policies and clear,

transparent communication about these policies to engage voters.
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Implement measures to reduce the influence of money in politics.

Regular performance evaluations, transparency reports, and public

forums can help maintain accountability to constituents.

Top 7 previous year questions

Short questions

1. What is meant by Regional political party? State the condition

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required to be recognised as a regional political party.
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&specific problems of the
Regional political party exists, operates and functions at the regional
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region and it has influence only onB
level. It gives prominence to regional issues,

U the people of that region. It lays more

H which it wants to preserve and
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stress on regional culture identity,
promote.
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Conditions required to be recognised as a Regional political party are
(i) It should have polled at least 6% valid votes in an election to the
Legislative Assembly.
(ii) It has reached in at least three states in last general election.
(iii) It had won at least 2 seats in Legislative elections.

2. What is meant by 'defection' in democracy? Explain.

Defection in democracy is a political phenomena. It
means moving of a person from one party to another party for some
personal benefit. It happens when a legislature, after having been
elected from a particular party leaves it and joins in other party.
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Anti-Defection Law was formulated to prevent elected MLA's and MP's

from changing parties. Now the law states that if any MLA or MP
changes parties, he or she will lose seat in the legislature. The new law
has brought percentage of defection down and has made dissent even
more difficult.

3. Describe any three broad guidelines for devising ways and

means for political reforms in India.
The three broad guidelines for devising ways and means for political
reforms in India are
(i) A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political
parties. Political parties should maintain a register of its members, to
hold open elections, to follow its own Constitution, etc.

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(ii) Political parties can be monitored by ordinary citizens, pressure
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groups, media, etc. Pressure on political parties can be done through

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petitions, publicity and agitation.
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(ii) The quality of democracy depends on the degree of public

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participation. It is difficult to reform politics if ordinary citizens do not
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directly participate in politics and simply criticise it from
outside.

4. Explain merits and demerits of multi-party system.

Merits of the multi-party system are
(i) Multi-party system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy
political representation.
(ii) In this system, people have an opportunity to choose between
several candidates.

Demerits of the multi-party system are

(i) This system often appears very messy.
(ii) This system sometimes leads to political instability
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5. What is the role of the opposition party in a democracy?

The opposition party plays a very important role in a democracy as
(i) It acts as pressure group.
(ii) It mobilises the government.
(iii) It keeps a check on the working of the ruling party.
(iv) It puts different views in the Parliament and criticize the
government for its failures or wrong policies.

Long questions

6. "Lack of internal democracy is a challenge to efficient

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functioning of Indian political parties." Justify the statement.
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Lack of internal democracy is a challenge&
political parties. The following points9
to the efficient functioning of

(i) All over the world, there is aU B justify the statements

concentration of power in H
tendency in political parties towards the

P one or few leaders at the top.

EXmembership registers, do not hold organisational

(ii) Parties do not keep
meetings and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
(iii) Ordinary members of the party do not get
sufficient information on what happens inside the party. They do not
have the means or the connection needed to influence the decisions. As
a result, the leaders assume greater power to make decision in the name
of the party.
(iv) Since one or few leaders exercise the power in the party, those who
disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.

7. Why has India adopted a multi-party system?

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India adopted multi-party system for the following reasons

(i) India being a vast and diverse country, the multi-party system was
needed to accommodate the vast population.
(ii) The social and geographical diversity of India could not be
represented by two or three parties.
(iii) The multi-party system in India evolved over a long time, depending
on the nature of society, social, regional division, its history of politics
and its system of elections.
(iv) Multi-party system ensures a healthy competition between different
parties and prevents dictatorship of a single party. Indian Constitution
declares India as a democratic country. Multi-party system fulfils this
criteria and provides chance for proper growth of the nation.

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