Political l'artics

'tlninS
~' .. tHt1Yis a group of pN,ple who rome tt,gethrr to rnntrst Plrrtif,n~ .1n<t hClld pnv,"flr 1n
'1jtH't1t' ·
•~ r ,,'t't-nnlt'nt". They agree on S\.lllle polirirs and pmgrammes, for promotin~ n.1tinn.1l intrr~~-
tflt' ~ irtit~s reflect the fundamental politiral division of a society. Thus, a p.1rty i~ known "v
f!!tl~ f rt it stands for, ,. _·hich policies it supports and whose interests it upholds.
•hich pa
• .... 1parties has three Components:
J\,htlla
fhe 1,eaders
~?
pi1
The Active Members
...: fhe Followers
till)
,.t;ons of Political Parties
fUP'-'-'
contest Elections
rtie5 contest elections. In most democracies, elections are contested mainly among the
:ndidates put up by political parties.
pec1aration of Policies and Programmes
Political parties put forward their considered views and policies before the people and suggest
"-aystotackle the issues. Usually, parties have their research wings and think tanks to guide them.
Shape Public Opinion
!1be parties stimulate interest of public in the issues before the nation. They circulate hand bills,
Iposters, leaflets, pamphlets, booklets, and other such material to solve the problems before the
Ination. In this way, political parties try to educate, influence and mould public opinion in their
favour. Political parties are significant agencies for creating public opinion.
llakingLaws
' Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
To Fonn and Run the Government
Formation of government is one of the aims and functions of a political party.
of Opposition
party or parties which fail to form the government, constitute the opposition and perform the
important function of criticism of the working of government, its policies and its failures.
between the Government and People
proVide a link between the people and the government.

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 Olympiads : Class to
Access to Government Machinery and Welfare Schemes
Patties provide the people an access to the government machinery and welfare sCheri,
implemented by governments. es

Need for Political Parties

Democracies cannot exist without political parties, and they are clear about the function th
perform. If there were no political parties then: ey

All candidates in an election would become independent candidates. They cannot promise
d · th' ·11 h · any
major policy changes to the people. A government iorme m IS way WI ave no unity. No 0
&

will be responsible for how the country will run, elected leaders would be responsibl eneor
accountable to their constituencies only.
Political parties are a must in representative democracies. In large societies, party representative
agency gathers different views on various issues a_nd present them to the go_vernment. They bring
various representative together to form a responsible government and that 1s why they are amust
in a democracy.
Party System
There are three types of party systems:
e-party system
ere is no competition in this system. The one party nominates the candidates and the voters
have only two choices - (i) Not to vote at all or (ii) write 'yes' or 'no' against the name of the
candidates nominated by the party. The countries following this system are China, North Korea
and Cuba.
Two-party system
Here power shifts between two major, dominant parties. The smaller parties usually merge with
the bigger parties or they drop out of elections. This parliamentary system prevails in Great
Britain, Canada and USA,
Multi-party system
It is the most common type of party system. In this system, three or more parties have the capacity
to gain control of the government separately or in coalition. In India, more than 750 parties are
registered with the Election Commission of India.
MAlllance
· •
When several parties in a multi-party system Jam oons
and hands for the purpose of contesting elec
Winning power it is called an alliance or a front India in 2004 had th ree sueh Alliances for
~entar y elections: , ,

_,, _ National Democratic Alliance;

-The United Progressive Alliance·
Leftfront ,
 Soc ial Scie nce

. ~ t i e s in Ind ia
•pcal P
fO ll
·oJlaI parties
er 196 8 in mor e
~,fl . part Y fulfi ls the crit eria und er Elec tion sym bols (Re serv atio n) Ord
oJitJCa 1
a part y win s 6% of tota l vote s in the Lok
1f P
3
tates , it is dee med to be a Nat iona l Part y. If
fours
ed as a nati ona l part y.
d at )eas t 4 seat s in a Lok Sab ha, it is reco gnis
30
tf1
bflaan
53
rtleS or fed era list Par ties
srate pa . . an
partY reco gnis ed m less than four stat es is a stat e part y in the stat e. 6%. of vote s in
.
. 1 .
. e
Apohoca
wm at leas t two seat s to be reco gms ed as a stat
. to Legislative Ass emb ly of a stat e and
electJ 00
partY· ry
arty in Indi a has to regi ster with the elec
tion Com mis sion . The com mis sion trea ts eve
tve!Y P y
litie s to larg e and esta blis hed part ies. The
as equal to the othe rs, but it offe rs spec ial faci
partY poli tica l part ies. " Acc ordi ng to this
are given a uniq ue sym bol and are call ed, "rec ogn ised
ona l part ies in the cou ntry in 201 8.
classification, ther e wer e sev en reco gnis ed nati

~--------------------; ~--------------------; I ~--------------

I
------; I
I I
: em :
1\vo part y syst : y syst em :
Mul ti part
: em
Single party syst I I
I

·-·-··--------·-------· ·---------------------·
I I

·---------------------·
I

&cii a

vs.OenlOCldceo.'Oi ol tile \\tlit HDIIM Mo re t _2 pag ies

ha ve ~~ o
go ve rn~ e a par t
,
l~I l
I
1,ll
i
l~J
II I
1'69 911
I11»1I I of Jition
,~, 1'11 1')J 1llOJ
1'1J 193)

• Dtmoall • Republican Coal ition aovt. was fonned during

the 2004 parliamentary elections
Onl y two main par ties National Democratic Allia nce+
ept the have the cha nce of United Proaressive Alliance + tho
Left Front
lat Par ty win nin g elections

(16 5)
 o~ty_m~p_ia_ds.;.,,;;:.,::C,::
la.:.:;:ss~·J_:O_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ . -
7
lntroduction to National Political Parties In India "
All India Trlnamool Congress (AITC)
nd
Launched on 1 January 1998 unMr the 1,•adershlp of Mamata Banerjee a wa~ recognised ,
nattonal party in 2016. It's symbol ls flowers and grass and has been in power m West Ben '
since 2011. '!al

Bahujan SamaJ Party (BSP}

The BSP was formed in 1984 by two leaders, Kanshiram and Mayawati. The mai~ base of the Pa
is in Uttar Pradesh. It draws inspiration from the teachings of Sahu
S MaharaJ,
.,, ( . Mahatma
. Ph Ue
11tl
Periyar Ramaswami Naicker. It now wants to uplift the "Bahujan amaJ maJonty castes) an~
promotes "Sarva Samaj' (the whole society).
Bharttya Janata Party (BJP)
It was created in 1980. It is strongly supported by Hindu organisations, informally known as th
Sangh Parivarin which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) plays a big role. It was fonne'
by Syama Prasad Mukherjee in 1951. The BJP, in alliance with several other parties, led th:
Governmentoflndia between 1998 and 2004 and also from 2014 to currentscenerio. It has now
the recognised majority and are the leading party within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
unist Party oflndia (CPI)
was formed in 1925, believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy. The Party
experience split in 1964 that led to the formation of the CPI(M).
Communist Party oflndia (Marxist) (CPI - M)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), usually known as CPI (M), split from the Communist
P~ ~flndia in 1_964. lt is strongest in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. It supports
socialism, seculansm and democracy. It opposes imperialism and communalism. In the 2014 L0k
Sabha elections, it won about 1.75% of votes and 3 seats.
Indian Nadonal Congress (INC)
It is India's oldest political party fi d d . 1885
from 1980 to 1989. ACentris oun ~ m . .' Ruling party at the centre till 1977 and then
partyespo la . t party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation, the
uses secu nsm ~and welfare of weaker se cfwns an d mmont1es.
reformsbutwtthah . . . Supports new economic
2004to 2014. uman ,ace. Leader of the United progressive. Alliance (UPA) government from

NedeetUlt f.onarea Party (NCP) j

It was formed on MaY25, 1999 by Sharad Pawar, P.A. S
dlrown . li
out of the Congress Party Th h d . angama and Tariq Anwar after they were 1
Mlle Mlnilter f India. It was Maharasht
· ey a objected to a person of foreign
. origin becoming l
h the ;_
••member O
of the United progressivera,Allia
w o had first. su d
pporte Sharad Pawar. Since 2004, ij
- • nee, which governed the country. l

• parties, most of the .

, maJor parties of the
1

•0 l
i•
parties · These are common) " country are classified by the ElectI n;
Y re,erred to as reg10nal
•
. parties. i·
,........--- Sodal Sd,,ncP.
\ ,.,,.~ncse parties arc a ll India pa1·llcs that happl'n to lrnve succredccl only In some states.
11e of ·ke the Samajwadl Party, Sanrnta Party a nd Has htrlya Jan;ita Dal have national levP.I
501
t
piirtteS rganisation with units in severa l s tates. So m e of these parties like Hiju Janata fJ,,11, Sikkim
Jitlca -~le front and Mizo National Front are con sciou s a bout thf'ir Str.1te Identity.
P0 0 cra
pert1 es faced by the Politica l Parties
JICl1g
Cl1~ internal Oen1ocracy
I) '°" of ember of the party does not have a cha n ce to take part In decision making process. Every
6VerY J1l ·snot consulted before taki n g a decision .
1ber 1.
111e0 i
astic success on
pyn wer in the hands of a few top leaders, party positions given to their family members.
With po
and Muscle Power
~oneY
·ous political parties contest e lections, there is competition and a lot of money is needed.
van_ 5 choose those candidates who can raise money for the party and win elections with their
paroe
111oney.
Meaningful Choice to Others
In India, like many other countries, the fundamental issues raised by parties are the same. The
only difference is the priority they will give to any problem. Voters do not have a meaningful
choice.
How Can Parties be Reformed?
Defection and Affidavit
• When an elected MP or MLA changes his party, it is called Defection. The Constitution was
amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties. Now the law says that if
any Ml.A or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the legislature. This new law has
helped to bring defection down.
• 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.
'nle Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their
Ol'ganisational elections and file their income tax returns. The parties have started doing so
but sometimes it is mere formality.
ns to reform polltlcal parties
1be internal affairs of the parties should be regulated by law.
To give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to women candidates.
funding of elections.
can put pressure on political parties to reform themselves.
in participation of people who are reform-minded in the activities of the political

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 __Qlyrnpiads : Class 1O

MIND MAP

-
- A political party is group of people who come together to context election and
hold
-
, power in the government.
It is most visible institutio n in the democracy. /
, -
- Components of political parties:
(ii) Active members (iii) Followers ~
'\ (i)Leaders
...--- --- --- --- --- ~'-w=....,,,,,,----~___,~---...............-.-------a.....,,.,,.

\ (i) Political parties contest elections. (ii) They put forward different policies and programrn •
(iv) Parties form and run government. es.
(iii) Play decisive role in making laws.
~ (v) Lossing party plays the role of opposition. (vi) Parties shape public opinion.
-
/
~

...-
/ Ol Problems with Independent candidates (ii) Representative democracies
{ - No uniform decision. - Large societies need representation and thus • ,
{} - Accountability would be limited to represented through political parties.
~ consistent only. - Here, different views of society can be represent../
~ - No one would be responsible to look after by single agency.
country. - Responsible government can be formed.
------------11111111111-~ -~__,..
Differ ent Party System

mtcm Two party system Multi-partv system

Is allowed - Chances of winning is - More than 2 parties
party
and between 2 main parties. , compete for power. .
nt i- E.g. UK
\ - Coalition government is ,
~ observed. /.

. ~~ ~. ,.r -/
,,-• I •
 Socia) Science

National Parties
- - Criteria for regional parties:
~ver;' partY needs . to berti .registered d. with E.C. , , (') 1 6 0f<0 votes in State Legislative Assembly. }.,
, rnere are 7 nauona 1 pa es 10 1n ,a. , (ii) Win at least 2 seats.
· . ria for recognised parties: 1
. cr1te . bh . / -----.-----_,_,..__.__.-.......,......._._....,,,,,,,
· ·J % votes m Lok Sa a election or 6% ol -
6
• (• in assembly in 4 states. - -
vote 5
··) Win at Je_ast 4 seats Lok Sabha election. _/
\ (11 __-,
~.- .- ; ;-·...,,,....- - , _ ~ - cFoundedin1980 ~ - Formed in 1885.
~.......,... ame to power in 1988
1 as leader of NOA. ; - Played a dominant role ,
- L · in Indian politics for
nc~ , - Formed in 1984 - argest party in 2014 .
- . 1,au . . f d , -- ---~-~ decades after
.. Under leadership o , - Un er leadership of independence.
p.tamta Banerjee · , Kanshi Ram. - - Aspire to build modern
!', .Recognise~in
~ - 2016. - Seeks to represent secular democratic
,,_.,, ' _lower
___ , , , ,_. - ~
cost _/ - Formed · in 19 99 republic in India.
following a split in , - Ruling party of centre
congress party. , , till 1977 then 1980-
1989 II
;. founde m 925. , - For~ed in 1964. - Promotes democracy, , 1 ·
• -
j. Significant presence in I ·- Supports socialism, ' \ Gandhian secularism. ; L__r-' ,:v·
i K,rala, Punjab, West / 1 secularism and 1 • Smee 2004, it was .,N
I_ m3e;ber,. o:~A. )
~
\ Bengal, Tamil N~du. _ ./ 1 democracy.
-- - - - - - - - ~ . - - - - , - ~ .r-

Challenge to political parties

; • Lack of interna emocracy wit in party.
\ · Challenge of dynastic succession. 1
Also known as "regiona parties".
Regional parties plays very important role in
national politics.
-
~ · Mon~y and muscle poser are used during / ' - National parties are compelled to from I
.t election. alliance with state parties. E.g. Samajwadi
,- Parties don't offer m e a ~ ~ ~ Pary.

How can Political parties be reformed

• Efforts made for reformation: - " - -==~" _.

C!~ The constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAcsJ from parties. )
(n) The supreme court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals.

uggestions that should

be impleme nted ,.,.
(i) Alaw should be made to regulate the internal affairs of Political Parties. /
(Ii} It should be made mandatory for political parties to give minimum number of seats to
Women candidate. r.:___,,_ __,____,...,._._.,__._.._.--.,,,,.,,/

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