GRADE 10 – POLITICAL SCIENCE

CHAPTER – POLITICAL PARTIES

IMPORTANT POINTERS FOR THE CHAPTER
POLITICAL PATRY:
A Political Party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and
hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes for the
society with a view to promote the collective good. Parties reflect fundamental
political divisions in a society. Thus, 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:

 The leaders
 The active members
 The followers
Functions of Political Parties
Political parties fill political offices and exercise political power. Parties do so by
performing a series of functions mentioned below:

1. Parties contest elections.

2. Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters choose
from them.
3. Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
4. Parties form and run governments.
5. Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the
parties in power, by voicing different views and criticising the government for
its failures or wrong policies.
6. Parties shape public opinion.
7. Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes
implemented by governments.

The Necessity of Political Parties

We need political parties because they perform all the functions which are
mentioned above. Apart from this, political parties 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 work as a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make
policies, justify or oppose them. Political parties fulfil the needs that every
representative government has.

How Many Parties Should We Have?

In a democracy, any group of citizens is free to form a political party. More
than 750 parties are registered with the Election Commission of India. But not
all these parties are serious contenders in the elections. So, the question,
then is: how many major or effective parties are good for democracy?
 - In some countries, only one party is allowed to control and run the
government. These are called one-party systems. This system is not
considered as a good option for democracy.
- In some countries, power usually changes between the two main parties.
Such a party system is called a two-party system. Eg: The United States
of America and the United Kingdom.
- If several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a
reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in
alliance with others, it is called a multiparty system. Eg: India.
- When several parties in a multi-party system join hands for the purpose of
contesting elections and winning power, it is called an alliance or a
front.

National Parties
Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission. It offers
some special facilities for large and established parties. 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.

1. A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the

Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least 2 seats is recognised as
a State Party.
2. A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or
Assembly elections in 4 States and wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha is
recognised as a National Party.

Major National Parties in India

There were 7 recognised national parties in the country in 2018. Here are the details
of these parties:
1) All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)

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

 Recognised 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 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.
 It secured less than 1 per cent votes and 1 seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections.
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.
 A coalition partner in the state of Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress.
Since 2004, a member of the United Progressive Alliance.

State Parties
The Election Commission has classified some of the major parties of the country as
“State parties”. These are also referred to as regional parties. Some of these parties
are:

 Biju Janata Dal

 Sikkim Democratic Front
 Mizo National Front
 Telangana Rashtra Samithi

Challenges to Political Parties

Popular dissatisfaction and criticism have focused on 4 problem areas in the working
of political parties. These are:

1. Lack of internal democracy within parties. Parties do not keep membership

registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal
elections regularly.
2. Most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for
their functioning, so there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to
the top in a party. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by
members of one family.
3. The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in
parties, especially during elections. Since parties are focused only on winning
elections, they tend to use short-cuts to win elections. In some cases, parties
support criminals who can win elections.
4. People do not find parties to be a meaningful choice for their votes.
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?

Have a look at some of the recent efforts and suggestions to reform political parties
and its leaders in India. Some efforts are listed below:

1. The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from
changing parties.
2. 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.
3. The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political
parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns
Besides these, many suggestions are made to reform political parties. These
suggestions have not yet been accepted by political parties.

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

2. 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. There should be state funding of elections. The government should give
parties money to support their election expenses.

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.
2. Political parties can improve if people who want change can join political
parties. It is difficult to reform politics if ordinary citizens do not take part in it
and simply criticise it from the outside.

Important Questions Political

Science Chapter 6 Political Parties
Q.1.What are the three main components of a political party?
Answer:

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

Q.2. What is the source of inspiration of the ‘Bhartiya Janata Party’?

Answer:
The source of inspiration of the Bhartiya Janata Party or the BJP is ancient Indian
culture and values.

Q.3. What is a recognised political party?

Answer:
A recognised political party is a party, recognised by the ‘Election Commission’
with all the privileges and facilities.

Q.4. What is a recognised political party?

Answer:
A recognised political party is a party, recognised by the ‘Election Commission’
with all the privileges and facilities.
Q.5. Given one point of difference between a pressure group and
a political party.
Answer:
A pressure group is an organized or unorganized body that seeks to
promote its interests while a political party is a body that seeks to attain
political power by contesting elections.

Q.6. Which special privilege is given to recognised political

parties by the Election Commission?
Answer:
RPP are given a special election symbol. Only official candidates of that
party can use the election symbol.

Q.7. Name any two regional parties of West Bengal.

Answer:

1. Forward BLOCK (1940),

2. TRINAMOOL CONGRESS (1997).

Q.8. Name any one political party that has national level political
organisation but not recognised as a national political party.
Answer:
State parties like the Samajwadi Party, Samata Party and Rashtriya Janata
Dal have national level political organisations with units in several states
but are not recognised as national parties.

Q.9. What is the guiding philosophy of Bhartiya Janata Party?

Answer:
The source of inspiration of Bharatiya Janata Party is the ancient Indian culture
and values. Cultural nationalism (Hindutva) is an important element in its
conception of Indian nationhood and politics.

Q.10. Name any one political party that has national level political
organisation but not recognised as a national political party.
Answer:
State parties like the Samajwadi Party, Samata Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal
have national level political organisations with units in several states but are not
recognised as national parties.

3 MARKS QUESTIONS
 Q.11. Name the national political party which gets inspiration
from India’s ancient culture and values. Mention four features of
that party.
Answer:
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) founded in 1980 draws inspiration from
India’s ancient culture and values.
Features:

1. Cultural Nationalism (Hindutva) is an important element in its

conception of Indian nationhood and politics.
2. Wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and
Kashmir with India.
3. A uniform civil code for all people living in the country
irrespective of religion and ban on religious conversions.
4. Earlier limited to north and west and to urban areas, the party
expanded support in the south, east, the north-east and rural
areas.

Q.12. “No party system is ideal for all countries and in all
situations.” Justify the statement with five arguments.
Answer:
Parties are a necessary condition for a democracy. The rise of political
parties is directly linked to the emergence of representative democracies.
Party system is not something any country can choose. It evolves
depending on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, its
history of politics and system of elections.

Each country develops a party system that is conditioned by its special

circumstances.

For example, India has evolved a multi-party system, because of its social and
geographical diversity which cannot be easily absorbed by two or three parties.
Political parties make policies to promote collective good and there can be
different views on what is good for all. Therefore, no system is ideal for all
countries and situations.

Q.13. Describe the three components of a political party.

Answer:
Components of a political party are:

1. The leaders,
2. active members and
3. the followers.

 The leaders are recruited and trained by parties.

They are made ministers to run the government.
The big policy decisions are taken by the political
executives that come from the political parties.
  Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread
over the country. Many of the pressure groups are
the extensions of political parties among different
sections of society. But since most of the members
belong to a party, they go by the direction of the
party leadership, irrespective of their personal
opinion.
 The followers are the ordinary citizens, who believe
in the policies of their respective party and give
popular support through elections. Often the opinion
of the followers crystallises on the lines.

Q.14. Explain any five suggestions to reform political parties in India.

Answer:
Five suggestions made to reform the political parties:

1. Law to regulate the internal affairs of political parties like maintaining a register
of its members, to follow its own constitution, to have independent authority, to
act as judge in case of party dispute, to hold open elections to the highest post.
2. It should be mandatory for political parties to give one-third tickets to women
candidates. Also, there should be quota for women on the decision-making
bodies of the party.
3. There should be state funding of elections. The government should give money
to parties to support their election expenses in kind (petrol, paper, telephone,
etc.) or in cash on the basis of votes secured by the party in the previous
election.
4. The candidate should be educated, so that he can solve and understand people’s
problems. His previous record should be cleared. He should be honest and there
should be no criminal case against him.
5. Citizens can reform politics if they take part directly and join political parties.
People can put pressure on political parties through petitions, publicity in
media, agitations etc.

Q.15. How do money and muscle power play an important role in elections?
Answer:
Political parties need to face and overcome the growing challenge of Money and Muscle
power during elections in order to remain effective instruments of democracy.

Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use shortcuts to win
elections, for example, like booth-rigging, distribution of food, money, alcohol, etc. to the
poor voters to get their votes. Political parties tend to nominate those candidates who have or
can raise lots of money. Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties tend to
have influence on the policies and decisions of the party. These days, parties are supporting
criminals who can win elections. This is a major cause of concern to the democrats all over
the world who are worried about the increasing role of rich people and big companies in
democratic politics.
Q.16. Why do we need political parties? Explain.
Answer:
To fill political offices and exercise political power, political parties are needed to perform a
series of functions, which are the following:

1. Parties contest elections. Elections are fought mainly among candidates put up
by political parties.
In India, top party leaders choose candidates for contesting elections.
2. Parties put forward different policies and programmes. Political parties in a
democracy group together similar opinions, to provide a direction in which
government policies can be formulated,
3. Parties make laws for a country. Laws are debated and passed in the legislature.
4. Parties that lose elections play the role of the opposition. Opposition parties
voice their views by criticizing government for its failure or wrong policies.
5. Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues and resolve
people’s problems. Many pressure groups are the extensions of political parties.
6. Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes.
For an ordinary citizen it is easy to approach a local party leader than a
government officer.

Q.17. Examine the role of opposition parties in a Democracy.

Answer:
Opposition parties play an important role in democracies. They play both positive and
negative role. Positive role,

1. They ensure political party in power does not misuse or abuse its power;
2. They expose the weaknesses of the ruling party;
3. They also keep a close vigil on the bills and expenditure of the government.

Negative role.

 They target the government and aim at dislodging and discrediting the
government for all the ills and the troubles the people face;
 Through stalling the proceedings of the parliament, dhamas and gheravs, it
curtails the progress of the country.
The opposition’s work is not to abstract the functioning of the administration
but keep a close watch on the working of the party in power so that democracy
becomes meaningful.

Q.18. “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 this
statement.
Answer:
We can understand the necessity of political parties by imagining a situation without parties.
Every candidate in the election will be independent. Therefore, no major policy changes will
be made. Elected representatives will be accountable to their constituency but no one will be
responsible for the smooth running of the country. As societies become large and complex,
they need an agency to gather views on various issues and to present them to the government.
There is a need to bring various representatives together so that a responsible government can
be formed.

A mechanism is needed to support or restrain the government to make policies, justify or

oppose them. Political parties fulfil the needs of a representative government and are thus a
necessary condition for a democracy.

Q.19. “All over the world, people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of
political parties to perform their functions well.” Analyse the statement with arguments.

Answer:
Since parties are the most visible face in a democracy, people blame them for whatever is
wrong with the working of democracy.
There are four major areas where the working of political parties faces challenge:
(i) Lack of internal democracy. There is concentration of power in one or a few leaders at the
top. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings and do not
conduct internal elections regularly. More than loyalty to party principles and policies, it is
personal loyalty which becomes more important. The leaders assume greater power to make
decisions in the name of the party. Since one or few leaders exercise paramount power in the
party, those who disagree with leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.

(ii) Dynastic succession. In many parties, top positions are always held by members of one
family. Most political parties do not practice transparent and open procedures for their
functioning and it is very difficult for an ordinary worker to rise to the top. This is bad for
democracy, since people who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to
occupy positions of power.

(iii) Money and muscle power. Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they
tend to use short-cuts to win elections. They nominate candidates who have or can raise
money and thus are able to have influence on the policies and decisions of the party.

(iv) No meaningful choice. There has been a decline in the ideological differences among
parties. They agree more on fundamental aspects, but differ only in details, on how policies
are to be framed and implemented. Sometimes people cannot even elect different leaders as
the same set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another.

Q.20. “Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy”. Analyse the
statement with examples.
Answer:
“Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy” in the following ways:
 1. Without political parties’ democracies cannot exist. If we do not have political
parties, every candidate in elections will be independent.
2. No one will be able to make any promises to the people about any major policy
changes.
3. The government may be formed but its utility will remain uncertain.
4. Elected representatives will be accountable to their constituency, for what they
do in their locality but no one will be responsible for how the country will run.
5. As societies become large and complex they also needed some agencies to
gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government,
that’s why political parties are needed.

Q.21. Describe any five efforts made to reform political parties in India.
Answer:
Five efforts made to reform the political parties:

1. Law to regulate the internal affairs of political parties like maintaining a register
of its members, to follow its own constitution, to have independent authority, to
act as judge in case of party dispute, to hold open elections to the highest post.
2. It should be mandatory for political parties to give one-third tickets to women
candidates. Also, there should be quota for women on the decision-making
bodies of the party.
3. There should be state funding of elections. The government should give money
to parties to support their election expenses in kind (petrol, paper, telephone,
etc.) or in cash on the basis of votes secured by the party in the previous
election.
4. The candidate should be educated, so that he can solve and understand people’s
problems. His previous record should be cleared. He should be honest and there
should be no criminal case against him.
5. Citizens can reform politics if they take part directly and join political parties.
People can put pressure on political parties through petitions, publicity in
media, agitations etc.