Ques 1 ) Define Political Party, Partisan and Defection

Answ
A political party is a group of people who follow an ideology and thus come
together to contest elections and hold power in the government.
A defector is basically a person in politics who gives up his own political party
and join other alliance for benefit. This term is also applied, often pejoratively,
to anyone who switches loyalty to another religion, sports team, political party,
or other rival faction. In that sense, the defector is often considered a traitor
by his original side.
A partisan is someone who supports one part or party. Sometimes the support takes
the form of military action, as when guerrilla fighters take on government forces.
But partisan is actually most often used as an adjective, usually referring to
support of a political party.

Ques 2 Explain various functions of political parties.

Answer
The major functions of political parties:
. Contesting election: In democracies, elections are fought mainly among the
candidates put
by political parties.

ii. Forming programmes and policies: Parties put forward different policies and
programmes
and the voters choose from them. A party reduces a vast multitude of opinions into
a few
basic positions which to supports.
iii. Making laws: Parties play a decisive role in making laws. Formally, laws are
debated and
passed in the legislature.

iv. Role of opposition: Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of
opposition to the
parties in power. Opposition parties also mobilise opposition to the government.
V. Access to government machinery and welfare schemes: Political parties provide
access to
government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by the government. Parties
have to
be responsive to the needs and demands of the people.

Ques 3 Explain different types of Party and Party System with its merits and
demerits.

Answer
There are mainly three types of party systems. They are:

One-party system: Only one party is allowed to control and run the government. For
example, in China, only the Communist Party is allowed to rule.

Merits
(i) Strong and Stable Government Since there is no opposition party, government is
strong and cannot be removed or voted out of power.
(ii) Less Expensive Since there is only one party and one candidate of the party,
not much money is spent on the election.
Demerits
(i) Undemocratic Government can become dictatorial.
(ii) No Choice It gives no choice to the voters.
Two-party system: Only the two main parties have a serious chance of winning a
majority of seats to form a government. The United States of America and the United
Kingdom are examples of a two-party system.

Advantages of Two party system:

1 It gives political stability to the country

2 Two-party systems have been preferred over multi-party systems because they are
not difficult to govern. This kind of system also discourages radical minor
parties.
3 It is s easier for voters to vote in the elections as they need to choose between
only two political parties.
4 The two-party system can speed up the process of governing.

Disadvantages

1 The two party system offers limited options to the voters as they have to choose
from only two political parties
2 It ignores alternative voices. The two party system do not effectively tackle the
issues faced by minority or other sections of the society.
3 The two-party system creates inconsistent governing.
4 When one party loses power in a two-party system, their policies are often
reversed since the other party usually takes an opposite stand.

Multi-party system: More than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to
power either on their own strength or in alliance with others. Thus in India, we
have a multiparty system.

Merits:
i This system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political
representation.
ii People can make a choice between several candidates.

Demerits:
i No one party is likely to gain power alone. Therefore it leads to difficulty in
formation of government.
ii Leads to political instability and often appears to be very messy

Ques 4State the conditions laid down by Election Commission to recognise any party
as a national party or or a regional party .

Answer

Conditions to be a State or Regional Party: The Election Commission has laid down
criteria to be state party.

A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in an election to the
Legislative Assembly of state.
Party wins at least two seats in Assembly elections.
The party which fulfill these two conditions are called State or Regional Political
Party.
Conditions to be a 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.
Party which wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha.
These two conditions are necessary to be a National Political Party.
Ques 5 Explain five features of each -Congress, Bhartiya Janata Party,and Bahujan
Samaj party.

Answer
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.

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.

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.

Ques 6 What are the various challenges faced by the political parties in India?

Answer
The various challenges faced by political parties are:
Lack of Internal democracy:
• Every member of the party does not have a chance to take part in the decision-
making process.
• Every member is not consulted before taking a decision.
• There is no proper organisation or registration of members.
• Power remains in the hands of a few top leaders, who do not consult ordinary
members.
• Ordinary members have no information about the internal working of the party.
Dynastic Succession: With power in the hands of a few top leaders, all party
positions go to their family members. These members may not be qualified or have
the ability to hold their positions.
Money and Muscle Power:
• Money is needed to organise demonstrations, public meetings, and speeches to
publicise the image of the party. Parties choose those candidates who can raise
money for the party and win elections with their money.
• Sometimes parties also support criminals candidates because they can win
elections.

The meaningful choice to others: Most of the political parties have the same
fundamental and ideological issues. Voters do not have a meaningful choice. Even
leaders keep changing parties, thus confusing the voter.

Ques 7 Suggest some reforms to strengthen political parties so that they perform
their functions well .

Answer
Some suggestions to reform political parties are
(i) Anti-Defection Law prevents elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties. At the
same time, this law has made any dissent even more difficult.
(ii) It is mandatory for every candidate to give details of his property and
criminal cases pending against him.
(iii) Political parties should maintain a register of its members and have periodic
elections for its office bearers.
(iv) Political parties should have one-third seats reserved for women.
(v) The government should give parties money to support their election expenses.
(vi) People should put pressure on political parties through petitions, publicity
and agitations.

Ques 8 List out various Regional Parties of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh ,Tamil
Nadu and Punjab.

Answer
Uttar Pradesh
1 Samajwadi Party 1992
2 Rashtriya Lok Dal 1998

Tamil Nadu
1 All India Anna DMK (1972) also in Puducherry
2 Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (2005)
3 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1949) also in Puducherry

Punjab
1 Shiroman Akali Dal 1920

Madhya Pradesh
1 JMM 1973
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