ENGLISH MEDIUM

MPPSC MAINS
PAPER-2 PART-A UNIT-2

POLITY
NOTES
-BY: Sanjeev Sir
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

Role of Caste in Indian Politics

 Caste has been an important and decisive element in Indian politics. Since independence, the influence of
caste has increased rather than diminished,” Late Jai Prakash Narayan once said, “Caste is the most
important political party in India.
 Role of caste in Indian politics
 Caste has influenced the policy-making of the government, for example the policy of reservation in favor of
certain castes.
 Programs, policies and announcements of political parties are made keeping in mind the caste.
 Various positions within a political party are distributed in terms of caste configuration.
 Caste plays a very important role in elections and voting. Political parties select their candidates on the basis
of caste structure in the constituency.
 Voting in elections and garnering political support from top to bottom runs on the basis of caste.
 The caste factor also influences the formation of the Council of Ministers and the appointments to various
political posts in the government.
 Caste also acts as a pressure group in politics. Political bargaining is also done on the basis of caste. Caste
organizations have emerged to organize the members of the caste for collective bargaining with each other.
 The administration has not escaped the influence of caste in India. The appointments, transfers of
government officials are affected on the basis of caste.
 The behavior of government officials in performing administrative duties is also sometimes influenced by
caste considerations.
 In many political parties, political leadership emerges and survives in politics on the basis of the support of
certain caste groups.
The caste system played an important role in determining the content and direction of
the processes of political socialization, political mobilization and institutionalization within the framework of
modern democracy.
Role of Religion in Indian Politics
 Religion greatly influences Indian politics. In politics, religion is used to gain political power. This
amalgamation of religion and politics can be presented through the following heads -
 Formation of political parties on the basis of religion - Religion can have an effect on political parties,
but it has an unbreakable relationship with some political parties. Political parties in India have been
formed on the basis of religion. Parties like Shiromani Akali Dal, Ram Rajya Parishad, Hindu Mahasabha,
Shiv Sena, Muslim League etc. have been formed on religious basis only.
 Effect of religion on elections - In elections in India, most political parties appeal to voters to vote in the
name of religion. Here fatwas/decrees of the abbots, imams, priests and sadhus are issued to garner
maximum votes of the public.
 Existence of Religious Pressure Groups - Today many religious organizations are seen playing the role of
pressure groups in politics. These organizations pressurize the government to make laws in favor of their
community and on many occasions they are successful in getting favorable laws.

1 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 Established the demand for separate states - In Indian politics, there has also been a demand for separate
states on the basis of religion. Eg :- 'Sikh Homeland', Khalistan etc.
 Formation of Governments on Religious Basis - While forming the Government at the Center and in the
States in India, it is kept in mind that the major communities and people of religious faith must be
represented in it.
 The nomination of Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha is also done on religious grounds.
 Impact of religion on state-politics - Strongly influencing the policy of governance by Nair Service
Society, Shree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yugam, Akali Dal etc. in the state of Kerala and Punjab.
 Policy of appeasement - Political parties in India adopt the policy of appeasing religious minorities with
the aim of making their vote bank. For example, maintaining the minority status of Aligarh Muslim
University.
 In the name of development of the majority community - coining slogans like 'One Culture, One Nation
and One Community' and 'We are Hindus' in opposition to Muslim appeasement.
 Measures to reduce communalism
1. Ban on political parties and other organizations formed on the basis of communalism.
2. A code of conduct for political parties should be prepared by the Election Commission and it should be
strictly followed.
3. It is necessary to improve the socio-economic conditions of the minorities.
4. Secular approach based education in schools and colleges.
5. Establishment of 'peace councils' at the state and district level.
6. Positive role should be played by political and religious leaders.
7. Formation of a special police force involving persons of all communities to prevent communal riots.
8. Establishment of special courts to deal with communal offences.
9. Development of 'Principles Based' Politics.
10. National feelings should be developed among the people.
11. Restriction on religious rituals in government educational institutions or educational institutions receiving
grants from the government.
Role of class in politics
 Every society is divided into different social strata which are organized into high and low social
hierarchies.
 The basis of these classes is sometimes their qualities and sometimes economic prosperity.
 Plates gave three classes on the basis of virtues, prudence, courage and appetite class.
 On the basis of economic structure, Marx divided the society mainly into two classes bourgeois and
proletariat. The first bourgeoisie, which is called the bourgeoisie, has ownership of the means of production like
land or capital, factories. The second proletariat, which has nothing but labor for its livelihood.
 Max Weber gave three categories of society - the wealthy class, the acquirer (earned) and the social class.
 There are also caste categories in India such as upper castes, backward castes and scheduled castes.
 Apart from this, classes have been formed on the basis of occupation and income such as poor, middle class
and rich class.

2 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 The word class of English, meaning class, is derived from the Latin word classis.
 The term classis was initially used for an armed group of persons. Later on, the term class came to be used
for large groups of human society.
Role
 Formation of Political Parties - The role of class is important in the formation of political parties in India.
If we look at the history of various political parties, it becomes clear that they have been formed to support
different classes - like the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the party of the classes and the capitalists, in the
same way the BSP party represents the lower class.
 Determination of political values - In Indian politics, political values are also determined on the basis of
classes, such as - modern or ancient or progressive ideology etc.
 Determination of candidate's qualification - On the basis of classes, the qualification of the candidate is
ensured in Indian politics, where the upper class likes educated and hardworking candidates, the same
lower class does not like the educated candidate, due to which the role of class in politics is important.
Keeps maintained.
 Determination of the outline of politics - The outline of Indian politics is also determined on the basis of
class, that is, how to please the lower class during the election or how the upper and middle class should be
connected with the ideology of their party. ensured on the basis of
 Policy making on the basis of class - In Indian politics, class influences in an important way for policy
making, most of India comes under the lower class, so the policies of India are also made on the basis of
the lower class or for the lower class. Only are made. Like- Ayushman Bharat Yojana, MNREGA, Pradhan
Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana.
 Establishment of Socialist State - The class is also responsible for the establishment of a socialist state in
Indian politics, because most of India comes from the lower class, so Indians focus on the proper
distribution of political resources that is why socialist state was established in India.
Role of ethnicity in politics
 Ethnicity is the sense of belonging of an individual or group. An individual or a group, belonging to a
particular ethnic group due to various cultural traits, is called ethnicity.
 Ethnicity refers to the selective cultural and physical characteristics that are used to classify people into
groups or categories that are considered significantly different from others.
 Some of the social traits frequently used for ethnic classification include
- The nationality
- Tribe
- Religious belief
- shared language
- shared culture
- Shared Traditions
 Ethnic groups in a population can be either a minority or a majority. Whether a group is a minority or a
majority is not an absolute fact but depends on the perspective.
Role
3 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 Separatism - Due to ethnicity, some regional people raise their voice to separate themselves from the
country by forming political organizations. Like some separatist organizations in Kashmir and Punjab.
 Demand for separate states - Due to ethnicity, the demand for separate states starts rising. Telangana state,
which was recently separated from Andhra Pradesh, is an example.
 Lack of social harmony - Due to ethnicity, people of one state try to exclude other states from their
territory. For example, incidents of violence against people from other provinces in the north-eastern states
and more recently in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
 Existence of Ethnic Pressure Groups - Today many ethnic organizations are seen playing the role of
pressure groups in politics. These organizations pressurize the government to make laws in favor of their
community. On many occasions, they also succeed in getting favorable laws.
 Special status - The sole purpose of granting special status to some states was to preserve ethnicity and
protect tribal people from populism, but it resulted in separatism, communalism and a sense of separation
among the people.
Language in Indian politics
 Language is also one of the many determinants of Indian politics.
 India is a multilingual country. Many languages and dialects are spoken here, out of which 22 languages
have been included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
 Language is the main means of communication between people.
 Diversity of language is a unique heritage of Indian society, but this characteristic becomes a crisis when
there is hatred between people due to the many languages spoken and written here.
 It is noteworthy that between 1950 and 1960, the main issue of politics was language.
 Constricted sentiments on linguistic basis, emergence of pressure groups and demands for states on the basis
of language and political movements pose a threat to national unity.
 For redressal of all disputes on linguistic basis, there is a need of such a communication language which can
bind people speaking different languages in the thread of unity.
 Along with political unity, language unity is essential for democracy.
Role of Language in Indian Politics
 Reorganization of states on the basis of language
 Language plays an important role in politics, whose effect we are seeing since independence
 In 1952, the movement for a separate Telugu language state intensified among the Telugu speaking people
and this movement was so intense that Prime Minister Nehru had to create states on the basis of language.
 Anti-Hindi language politics -
 Since the creation of the Indian Constitution, politics is going on to replace Hindi as the national language.
At that time people said that hurrying to substitute Hindi in place of English would mean imposition of
Hindi on non-Hindi language masses.
 The framers of the Constitution then decided that English would be used as the official language until Hindi
was fully developed and the Government of India would continue to work for the development and
expansion of the Hindi language.

4 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 But even after 75 years of independence, Hindi could not become the official language, at present, the
Narendra Modi-led government issued a circular in the year 2014 to all the ministries, PSUs. And even
when banks were told to give priority to Hindi on their social media accounts, political parties strongly
opposed it.
 The government of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu always seems to be doing language politics by opposing
the Hindi language.
 Linguistic disputes in the states -
 Despite the reorganization of the states on the basis of language, there is always a dispute between the states
and on the border, such as Belgaum on the Maharashtra and Karnataka border, in Assam, there are always
fierce disputes regarding Bengali and Assamese language.
 Political parties intensify such protests to take advantage of it.
 The politics of recognition of other languages
 22 major languages have been recognized in the Eighth Schedule of our Constitution, despite that the
demand has not stopped it is increasing day by day.
 People are demanding inclusion of many regional languages in the Eighth Schedule like Bhojpuri, Mandari
etc.
 Politics of linguistic minorities
 The problem of linguistic minorities remains the same despite the creation of many states on linguistic basis.
 These minorities are demanding their linguistic protection in many ways, such as Urdu in Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar, Marathi in Karnataka, Hindi in Punjab etc. The problem of linguistic minorities exists in the states
and it plays an important role in local politics here. .
 Voting behavior on the basis of language - Voting behavior in India is also done on the basis of language,
people vote for the same party which is related to their language or working for the advancement of their
language.
 The language dispute has affected the national unity of India and it has also created administrative problems
before the country. The need is to remove the above shortcomings so that there is no threat to the unity and
integrity of the country.
Role of gender in politics
 The role of gender in politics refers to the ratio of the participation of men and women in politics. The
political participation of women in India is not present at the expected level. The following are the reasons
for the low participation of women in politics:
 Patriarchal society
 The main reasons for the low participation of women in politics are patriarchal society and its structural
deficiencies. Because of this, women get fewer opportunities and they lag far behind men in political
competition.
 Nearly one-third of women saw patriarchal society as a hindrance to their political participation.
 Household responsibilities
 Most of the women are unable to participate in politics due to domestic responsibilities such as taking care
of children, cooking for the members of the household and other family reasons.
5 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 Personal reason
 Many women do not actively participate in politics even due to personal reasons. These are personal reasons
- lack of interest in politics, lack of awareness, educational backwardness etc.
 About 10% women are not able to participate in politics due to personal reasons.
 Cultural restrictions and conservatism
 Women are not able to participate in politics even due to cultural norms and stereotypes. Cultural
restrictions include the practice of purdah, not talking to any other man, women not going out, etc.
 About 7% of women admitted that they do not participate in politics due to cultural reasons.
 Socio-economic reasons
 Weak socio-economic background also hinders women's political participation.
 Negative image of politics
 Due to the negative image of politics among common people and the corruption prevalent in it, women also
take less interest in politics.
 Apathy of political parties towards women
 The political parties and governments of the country have shown apathy towards the participation of women
in national level politics.
 All political parties seem to be discouraged in passing the proposed Women's Reservation Bill, which
provides for reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures.
 The main reason for this is that male politicians are afraid that the election of women may reduce or
eliminate their chances of being re-elected for which they are not ready.
Necessary measures to increase the participation of women in politics
 Reservation for women in Parliament
 Although the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Indian Constitution have made a provision for reservation
of one-third seats in the local body for women, but other efforts are also needed to ensure equal participation
of women in politics.
 The Women's Reservation Bill to provide 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative
Assemblies of all the states needs to be introduced and passed immediately.
 Reservation for women in political parties
 Although this step does not provide any concrete assurance regarding the increase in the number of women
MPs, but it can be a concrete step to ensure adequate number of women in politics.
 This provision has been made in many countries of the world such as Sweden, Norway, Canada, Great
Britain and France etc.
 To provide environment for all round development of women
 To increase the participation of women in politics and other diverse fields, it is necessary that efforts should
be made for women empowerment and their community participation at every level in the society so that
they develop self-confidence, leadership ability etc.
Political party

6 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 It is such an organized group of citizens of political nature who exercise control over the government as a
political unit and tries to work in the interest of the people through the constitutional route and collective
commitments.
Type of political party
 Reactionary party
 They want to stay hidden from the old socio-economic institutions.
 Conservative party
 It believes in status quo.
 Liberal party
 They want to improve the existing institutions.
 Reformist party
 They want to establish a new system by removing the existing system.
 The parties with reactionary and conservative ideology are called right wing BJP party with reformist
ideology is called Left party.
Features of party system in India
1. Multi-party system
 Due to the large size of the country, the diversity of Indian society, universal suffrage and many other
reasons, many types of political parties have emerged.
 At present there are 8 national parties, 49 state level parties, and about 1590 unrecognized registered parties
in India.
 Thus there are all types of political parties in India. Leftists, Right Wings, Communal Parties, Non
Communal Parties etc.
2. One Party System
 Despite the presence of many parties, India was ruled by the Congress for a long time, which was also
called the Congress system in some political analyses.
 After 1967, due to the growth of regional parties and other national parties, the influence of the Congress
started to decline.
 Lack of clear ideology
 Except the Bharatiya Janata Party and the two communist parties CPM and CPI, no other party has any clear
ideology.
 All other parties are similar to each other, hence the ideology
 Politics has become based on issues rather than ideology.
 Personality glorification
 Most of the parties are organized around a person who becomes more important than the party and the
ideology of the party and the parties are known by their leaders rather than their manifesto.
 It is also a fact that the fame of Congress is due to its leaders Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv
Gandhi. That is why it is said that in India there is a political personality instead of a political party.
3. Based on Conventional Factors

7 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 Political parties in western countries are formed on the basis of socio-economic and political programme.
Whereas in India most of the parties are formed in the name of religion, caste, language, culture etc. Like
Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party etc.
4. Rise of Regional Parties
 One of the main features of the party system in India is the rise and growing role of regional parties.
Initially, their role was limited to regional political, but at present, being in power in many states, as well as
playing an important role at the central level in this era of coalition governments.
5. Team building and defection
 Formations of new parties in India, dissolution of parties, dissolution of parties, etc., are important forms of
functioning of political parties.
 Due to the desire for power, leaders leave their party and join another party or form a new party.
 After 1967, due to political instability in the center and the states, the tendency of disintegration in the
parties increased.
6. Lack of effective opposition
 The role of opposition is very important in parliamentary democracy.
 On the one hand, by criticizing the government, it curbs its autocratic tendencies, while on the other hand it
also makes the public aware.
 But in the last 50 years, except on a few occasions, there has been a lack of strong and effective opposition.

National and state level recognition

 Essential Qualification to be a National Level Party
1. If in the election to the Lok Sabha or the Legislative Assembly, he secures 6 percent of the valid votes in
four or more states and simultaneously gets four seats in the Lok Sabha from any state or states.
2. If a party secures two percent seats in the Lok Sabha. And it should have been obtained from at least three
states.
3. If a party is recognized as a state level party in at least four states.
Qualifications to be a State Party
1. If it secures 6% of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the legislative assembly of the
state concerned and in addition, it wins 2 seats in the assembly of the state concerned or
2. If it secures 6% of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the Lok Sabha from the state
concerned and in addition, it wins 1 seat in the Lok Sabha from the state concerned or
3. If it wins 3% of seats in the legislative assembly at a general election to the legislative assembly of the state
concerned or 3 seats in the assembly, whichever is more or
4. If it wins 1 seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to the state at a general
election to the Lok Sabha from the state concerned or
5. If it secures 8% of the total valid votes polled in the state at a General Election to the Lok Sabha from the
state or to the legislative assembly of the state. This condition was added in 2011..
Functions/ Importance of political parties

8 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

1. Formation of public opinion - Political parties create public opinion in democratic countries. Ordinary
people do not have any knowledge of the problems of the country, due to which they cannot think about those
problems properly. Political parties try to make the people in their favor by clarifying those problems. With this,
the people gradually get organized, forming strong public opinion.
2. To give political education to the people - Political parties play an important role in democracy, in the
development of political consciousness among the people. For this they try to educate the public, politically.
Through meetings, conventions, periodicals, etc., they keep the public informed about the problems of the
country and run vigorous campaigns to bring the people on their side. At the time of elections, they take their
manifesto and go to the public. It also gives knowledge of political problems to the public and also knowledge
of policies and programs of political parties. In this way the public becomes politically educated.
3. Leadership of the people in the formulation of public policies - Political parties are called 'brokers of
ideas'. Political parties lead the people in the formulation of public policies. Due to this, the general public
becomes a participant in the plans made in relation to the policies of the government and public approval on the
policy is also obtained. In the end, it is the political parties that get public approval and become partners in
policy-making.
4. To act as a link between the people and the government - Political parties, along with giving knowledge to
the public about the policies of the government, also bring the problems of the people to the government and
also make efforts to get them removed. Information is exchanged between the public and the government by
political parties. Therefore, a political party is an important link between the government and the people.
5. Contesting elections and forming the government - Political parties put up their candidates in the elections
and adopt various tactics to win the elections. By winning elections, they have only one goal - control over
power and governance.
6. Criticizing the government - Criticism is very important in a democracy. The intense form of criticism of
the government is seen in parliamentary systems of government. In the parliamentary system of government,
one party runs the government and the other keeps an eye on the policies of the government, so that the
government can be criticized in case of wrong doing.
7. Recruitment and selection of political leaders - A political party is an organization that recruits and selects
its office bearers, leaders and members to achieve its goals. Organizational elections of political parties are held
after a certain period of time in which eligible persons are recruited into the organization and assigned certain
organizational duties. These leaders form the government by winning further elections.
8. Legitimation of power - In a democracy, elections are held after a fixed time. Elections are the main means
of legitimization of power. Political parties implement this legalization. In elections, there is an attempt to
legitimize power through political parties. The legitimization of power is the main means of stability and
development of the political system.
9. Integration of society - Political parties bring the demands of the people to the government and also try to
keep the society tied in the thread of unity. Political parties on several occasions have played an important role
in the social and cultural development of Indian democracy by grouping of interests.
10. Coordinating the various organs of government - Political parties also play an important role in
maintaining coordination between the executive and the legislature in a democracy. In parliamentary
government, the coordinating role of political parties is more. Due to the presence of majority, due to the
9 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

control of the same party over the legislature and the executive, political parties are more comfortable in
coordinating. In a federal government, the same work is done by political parties to maintain coordination
between the center and the state or units.
11. Social Welfare - In the modern era, political parties also play an important role in social welfare. To get rid
of the problems of famine, war, epidemic etc. in the country, various political parties also run aid programs.
Political parties also keep agitating against social evils like poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, dowry system.
After the above discussion it can be said that political party is the backbone of
democracy. The truth is that neither democracy nor government can be imagined without political parties.
Therefore, political party is the only means in modern times for public interest and is the link between the
people and the government..
Issues
 Organizational problems - Organizational problems are often found in all political parties. Before the 1969
split, the Congress was an organized and comprehensive organization. The ruling Congress remained in
power from 1971 to 1977 on the strength of its organisation, while the Congress(s) disintegrated due to lack
of organisation. After the defeat of the Congress in 1977, factionalism in the Congress was redefined and
thus weakened the party. Although the Congress (i) was in power from 1980 to November 1989, its
organization was not very organized. Congress (i) was formed in 1978, but its organizational elections were
held in 1992.
 Both communist parties are organization based, but their organization is not very nationwide as their
influence is limited to West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala.
 The former Jana Sangh and the present Bharatiya Janata Party have the organisation. It has no shortage
of workers, but its impact is not felt across India.
 The influence of Bahujan Samaj Party and Nationalist Congress Party is limited due to lack of better
organisation.
 Factionalism - Groups are found in almost all political parties. Congress split in 1969, 1978 and 1995 due
to factionalism.
 The factionalism in the Communist Party of India led to the formation of three parties - the Communist
Party of India, the Marxist Party and the Marxist Leninist Party.
 The factionalism of DMK led to partition and Anna DMK was formed
 The Janata Party also split into four parties due to factionalism.
 Defection - Almost all political parties face the problem of defection. The only difference is that sometimes
if a party benefits from defection, it does not demand to stop defection.
 The 52nd Amendment of the Constitution has worked to prevent the evil of defection. But still there are
many examples of defection. For example, in 2020 there was a massive defection in Madhya Pradesh.
 leadership crisis - Looking at the leaders of almost all the parties, it seems that there is a dearth of young
leaders in the country. Political parties are often led by leaders in their 60s and 70s or older. It seems that the
talented youth of the country do not like to join politics.
 Economic problem - Crores of rupees are needed for Parliament and Assembly elections. Political parties
try to raise as much money as possible so that money can flow like water in elections.

10 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 The main sources of income for political parties are membership fees, donations and treasury operations.
Almost all parties take money from capitalists and industrialists. People who give money want to take
advantage of it. That is why it is said that no matter which party comes to power, the interests of the
capitalists cannot be sidelined. In addition, political parties do not publish the details of membership fees
and funds received from the fund. Black money has had a devastating effect on Indian politics.
 Importance of caste and religion - India is a secular state and all major national political parties speak
against caste and religion. But instead of qualified candidates,
 Tickets are given to those people whose caste has a majority in that constituency.
 In election campaigns, all political parties often try to take advantage of caste and communal sentiments.
Many political parties like Akali Dal, DMK, Muslim League, Bahujan Samaj Party etc are based on
caste and religion.
 Ideological alliance of political parties - An important problem of the Indian party system is that political
parties, to serve their own interests,
 Always ready to form alliances without principles. In the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, the Janata Dal
contested the elections together with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Marxist Party. Whereas the
policies of Bharatiya Janata Party and Marxist Party are contradictory. Since the 1991 elections, till 2022,
almost all the parties have made in-principle agreements.
 Lack of democracy in political parties - The main allegation on Indian political parties is that the political
parties which are responsible for maintaining the prestige of democracy have not been able to establish
democracy in their own parties. Organizational elections of political parties are not held for many years. The
functioning of the party is being run entirely by nominated and interim leaders. This has led to the tendency
of partisan dictatorships in political parties.
 Lack of open debate among political parties - The policy of political parties is not being discussed openly
on the party platform as it should be and the voice of dissent is being seen with a different tone in the name
of rebellion.
 Political corruption - An important problem of the Indian political system is that the tendency of political
corruption has arisen among the leaders of Indian political parties. Generally, all political parties accuse
each other of corruption during elections. State leaders generally use corrupt means to win elections. It is
common to see allegations of corruption among ministers.
 Multi party system - An important drawback of the Indian party system is the multi-party system.
Multiparty system is found in many countries of the world. But the number of political parties in those
countries is not more than in India. Having more parties is very harmful for the parliamentary system of
government. In the absence of a clear majority for any party, many parties form the government by making
unpredictable and principled compromises and such a government is unstable and weak.
 lack of proper alternatives - After the long rule of Congress in India, it did not become a viable option at
the national level. No party could get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Lok
Sabha. And 9th Lok Sabha had to be dissolved after only 15 months and 11th Lok Sabha after 18 months
due to hung parliament. The 12th Lok Sabha was dissolved after only 13 months.

11 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 Growing influence of regional political parties - One of the main drawbacks of the Indian political system
is that the importance of national parties is decreasing and the influence of regional parties is increasing
rapidly. Akali Dal in Punjab, Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana, DMK in Tamil Nadu. and Anna D.M.K.
Regional parties like Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal United in Bihar, Asom Gana Parishad in Assam,
Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Mizo National Front in Mizoram are very
important. And most of these parties are in power.
 conclusion - It is clear from the problems of Indian political parties that political parties lack the great
qualities which are necessary for the success of political parties and democracy.
Anti-defection law
 The 10th Schedule was added by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment 1985 and anti-defection law was
introduced. It has the following provisions.
1. If a member of any House voluntarily renounces the membership of a political party, then his membership
of the House will also be terminated.
2. If he votes in the House against the directions of his political party. then his membership will be terminated
If the political party does not grant pardon within 15 days.
3. If an independent member joins any political party after winning the election, his membership of the House
will be terminated.
4. If 1/3rd members of a political party leave their party and form a new party, then the membership of their
house will remain.
5. If a nominated member accepts the membership of any party after 6 months of his nomination, then his
membership of the House will be terminated.
6. If a member leaves a member of his party after being elected as the Presiding Officer, his membership of the
House will continue.
7. If a nominated member joins a political party within 6 months of his nomination, then his membership of
the House continues.
8. If an independent member does not take membership of any political party but holds the post of minister in
the government, then he will not be a Member of Parliament.
9. The disqualification arising out of defection is determined by the Speaker of the House.
10. Initially the decision of the Speaker of the House was final but in the Kihoto Holohan case 1992, the
Supreme Court considered it worthy of judicial review.
91st Constitutional Amendment 2003
1. Made the anti-defection law more stringent by providing for 2/3 in place of 1/3 members.
2. The size of the entire Council of Ministers including the Prime Minister shall not exceed 15 percent of the
total strength of the Lok Sabha. (Art. 75)
3. The size of the entire Council of Ministers including the Chief Minister shall not exceed 15 percent of the
total strength of the State Legislative Assembly but it should not be less than 12. (Art. 164)
4. Any Member of Parliament or Legislature who has been disqualified on the ground of defection shall be
deemed to be unfit to hold the office of a Minister.
Benefits of anti-defection law
12 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

1. Provides political stability.

2. The loyalty of the public representative to his party and the people remains.
3. It becomes possible to maintain discipline in a political party.
4. It controls political corruption.
5. It reduces the expenditure on irregular elections.
6. Government can pay more attention to administration.
Criticism of anti-defection law
1. It limits the discretionary powers of the members of Parliament and Legislature.
2. It does not bar the nominated members from joining any political party in the first 6 months.
3. It is not effective in contrasting small parties.
4. Reduces the accountability of the government to the Parliament.
5. There is a possibility of favoritism by the presiding officer.
Voting behavior
 Voting behavior is the study of the environment that influences the decision-making ability of voters. It is
this environment that compels, motivates, excites or discourages voters about which candidate to vote for
which party.
 In fact, voting behavior is a sensitive political reaction driven by psychological factors, which is influenced
by a variety of internal and external factors, some of which are as follows
 Party allegiance - Party loyalty refers to the loyalty of a person to the ideology, program etc. of a particular
party. We get the first knowledge of how party loyalty is maintained by our parents, other family members
and teachers in schools and colleges etc. It is seen that the more strong a person's parents are in their
political views and party allegiance, the more that person is attracted to political parties. For example, even
today a large section of the Indian society maintains allegiance to the Congress party. Apart from this,
voters in countries like Britain, Norway, Switzerland, Canada etc. have party loyalty and their voting
behavior is affected as a result of this loyalty.
 Choice of Political Issues - Political issues raised in various elections also influence the behavior of the
voter. Political issues refer to those questions which are related to the work to be done or not to be done for
the government. People can express their consent or disagreement about these political issues. Kembel and
his associates have emphasized three factors that determine the impact of political issues. He has made it
clear that voters are affected by political issues only if these conditions are met-
(1) Voters should be aware and attracted in this matter.
(2) Voters should feel that the beliefs of the political parties raising the relevant issues are in line with their
beliefs.
(3) Those issues which can generate intensity of sentiment among the voters, due to which they may be
particularly influenced to vote.
Kembell has clearly stated that if a political issue has the ability to comply with these three conditions, then
the political party raising that issue must be able to influence the behavior of the voters. For example, the
issue of corruption was raised by the BJP party in India during the 2014 elections which affected the
behavior of the Indian voters.

13 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 Economic condition of voters - Often those voters take more interest in politics, whose economic condition
is good. Whereas the behavior of poor voters is quite different from this. Poor voters often prefer to vote for
that political party, which can strengthen their economic condition.
 Social Status - In almost all political systems, upper class people support right wing parties while lower
class people support left wing parties. But this does not mean that in all democratic political systems each
gives all his votes to one party. In the context of India, the leadership of the right wing and left wing parties
has been equally in the hands of the upper class. This means that in India, the number of supporters of the
left wing is found among the upper class people and the number of supporters of the right wing is less
among the people of the lower class. Yet in India the upper class supports the right wing while the lower
class supports the left wing.
 Religious feelings - Marxists have called religion as intoxication, whose mania compels a person to do
unbelievable acts. Religious sentiments greatly influence voting behaviour. In India, the Bharatiya Janata
Party (formerly the Jana Sangh) enjoys wide support from the Hindus. The Muslim League parties of India
and Pakistan are based on the religion of Islam. These political parties incite the voters in the name of
religion. Voters get confused by the religious propaganda carried out by political parties and their voting
behavior gets affected. For example, in the Lok Sabha elections of May-June 1991 in India, Hindu religion
was widely propagated by the Bharatiya Janata Party and undoubtedly the behavior of the Indian voters was
affected as a result of this campaign.
 Gender - An analysis of all democratic political systems shows that women are less active in voting than
men. But this difference is negligible on the basis of gender between college educated men and women,
whereas this difference is more between men and women among less educated or low level people. In India,
married women usually vote with the will of their husbands and unmarried women with the wishes of their
father or brother.
 Age - Often youth are more influenced by the passionate speeches of political parties and leaders. For this
reason, the number of young people is more among the voters, whereas the adult voters are not so much
influenced by the speeches of the leaders. They use their vote wisely. Simultaneously, political activity
continues for about 50 years after the right to vote. But as the age progresses, the political activity also
declines. By old age a person becomes subjective and wants to move away from political activities and his
voting behavior also becomes passive.
 Education - An educated voter uses his vote more wisely than an uneducated person. Often the illiterate
voter gets caught up in the promises and allurements made by the political parties, whereas the educated
voter acts at his discretion and votes judiciously for the candidate of his choice.
 Region – Where on one hand the social status keeps the voters in the thread of unity, on the other hand the
feeling of regionalism strikes on that unity. That is, the political behavior of the population of different
regions located in the same country is not equal, but is unequal. For this, the effects of historical
development, traditions and geographical boundaries of different regions are mainly responsible. India is a
clear example of this.
 Role of Leadership - The personality of the contesting candidates fills consciousness even among the
inactive voters. If there is good leadership and voters expect good results from him in future, then he

14 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

undoubtedly influences the behavior of voters. There have been innumerable leaders in history whose
leadership has influenced the behavior of voters. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were
such leaders in India. Political leadership influences the mind of the voters with its eloquence, candor and
leadership ability.
 Voter's attitude towards candidates - Attitude towards candidates means that voters are more attracted to
the personal qualities of the candidates than to the party commitment of the candidates. The trend towards
candidates is more pronounced when two similar personalities are present in front of the voters. There the
voters are more influenced by the personal qualities of the candidates. In the countries of the world where
there is a presidential system of government, the personality of the President greatly influences the voters.
Along with this, where there is a parliamentary system of government, parliamentary candidates also
influence voters a lot. For example, in India, Pt. Nehru and Indira Gandhi were prime ministers for a long
time. The personality of the young Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair, is considered an important
reason for the victory.
 Linguistic Factors - At least in the Indian context, language has a unique influence on voting behaviour. In
India, the reorganization of states was also done on the basis of language and on the basis of language there
have been many political disputes in the past. Even today language continues to play a very important role
in influencing the behavior of voters.
 War or National Crisis - In times of war or national crisis, all voters come out of their narrow sense and
vote for a capable political party and a capable leadership. In times of national crisis, voters often vote in
favor of a leadership that will keep the national morale high in every circumstance. Such was the support
given to Mrs. Indira Gandhi by the voters during the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
 Desire for political stability - The desire for political stability also has an effect on voting behavior. If the
country is going through a phase of political instability, then voters prefer to vote for the political party
which promises stability.
 Ideology, Policies and Programs of Political Parties - Many voters are influenced by the ideologies of
political parties, while there is a large section of voters who vote after seeing the policies and programs of
political parties. Through policies and programs, voters get information about the things that political parties
want to do after getting power. Although Indian voters often do not read the election manifestos of political
parties, which describe the policies and programs of political parties, in many democratic governance
systems, election manifestos issued by political parties influence voters.
 Election campaign - Effective election campaign increases the inclination of voters towards the party.
Various political parties put full emphasis in the election campaign by their best political speakers so that
the behavior of the voters can be made in their favor by any means.
 Role of Money - Money spent in elections definitely influences voting behaviour. Particularly in countries
where the majority of the population is poor, attempts are made to influence voters by the greed of money.
Even, efforts are made to buy votes of voters. There are innumerable instances where large sums of money
have been spent by candidates in elections and as a result of which voting behavior has been affected.
 Current Affairs - Current affairs also affect the voting behavior. For example, the declaration of
emergency by the Congress government in the 1977 elections in India was an important case, which had a

15 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

significant impact on the voting behavior and voters voted for the Janata Party over the Congress. Similarly,
a few months before the assembly elections of four states in November, 1998, suddenly the prices of many
commodities increased, due to which the affected people voted for the Congress rather than the BJP.
 Populist Slogans - The behavior of voters is also influenced by the populist slogans. At the time of
elections, such shows are done by the political parties to the voters, due to which the voters get affected.
Especially in a country like India, where most of the people are illiterate, the people are easily affected by
the populist slogans. People's slogans have a great impact on educated voters as well.
 The conduct of the ruling party - The conduct of the ruling party must have an effect on the voting
behavior. If the ruling party remains in a state of inaction, apathy and dereliction of duty for the entire term,
then the voters vote against it at the time of election. Like the behavior of the BSP party in the recent Uttar
Pradesh elections.
Civil Society and People's Movement
 Civil society or civil society means such social organizations other than government and commercial
organizations which serve the public voluntarily and in the spirit of social welfare. Examples of civil society
include NGOs, consumer organisations, environmental groups and cooperatives formed for social purposes.
Or
 Civil society is an organization made up of the totality of voluntary civil and social organizations and
institutions, which discharges its responsibilities on the basis of 'rule of law'.
 In a developing country like India, civil society has played its role very seriously.
 In recent times, civil society has done Anna movement, movement against CAA and farmer’s movement,
the farmer’s movement is still going on.
 In fact, civil society focuses on those aspects, which are related to the interests of the common man.
People's Movement and the Rise of Civil Society
 Democracy is the system of governance of the people elected by the people, when the people's
representatives do not perform their duties properly, then a public anger is born, gathering of this public
anger and protesting itself is called "people's movement".
 A mass movement is a collective struggle, which is motivated by the achievement of an objective.
 People's movements play an important role in building a strong democracy.
 The roots of the distinctiveness of civil society can be found in those progressive mass movements of
democratization that began in Latin America and Eastern Europe and spread to the developing world.
 The rise of civil society in India is due to the people's movement.
 After independence, when such people also got the opportunity of political participation, which was not
possible earlier due to all the evils, then backward classes, scheduled castes and tribes, farmers etc. started
taking organized initiatives to get the opportunity given by Indian democracy.
 People like Mahatma Gandhi, Vivekananda and Mother Teresa have given inspiration to such movements
from time to time.
 Some such mass movements under the leadership of Baba Amte, Sunder Lal Bahuguna, Pandurang Shastri
Adhawale give edge to the emerging role of civil society in modern India.

16 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440
 For- UPSC / MPPSC

 Sampoorna Kranti, a non-political movement of students of Bihar started on the issue of corruption under
the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan, eventually led to a change of power at the Centre.
 The government and administration had to bow before the people's movement like Chipko Andolan,
Narmada Bachao and had to pass Environment Protection Act 1986.
 If seen from the contemporary perspective, in the last decade, the civil society has made four major
movements in India -
1. Anna Movement for Anti-Corruption and Lokpal
2. Baba Ramdev's movement for the return of black money from abroad
3. Against CAA
4. Kisan Andolan updated from 2020
 In these movements, only the Anna movement was successful and the civil society came out of the
movement and grabbed the power of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
 If seen from the right point of view, civil society performs the following roles in government and
administration through mass movement etc.
Role/Characteristics of Civil Society in Democracy
 The first function of civil society is to maintain control over the powers of the state. The bureaucracy in
India, which became independent after being under the British for centuries, still suffers from the traditional
colonial mindset. Political parties and leaders are also often seen deviating from the path of their
constitutional responsibility, getting fed up with the power gained by getting the trust of the public. In such
a situation, the members of the civil society force them to maintain the democratic system by making checks
and balances on them.
 In implementing the concept of public welfare state.
 To put the real will of the people before the government.
 In implementing the concept of good governance by promoting public participation in governance.
 To increase accountability in governance by making the public aware of government policies, programs and
shortcomings.
 In the development of other values of democratic life, such as restraint, modernity, compromise and respect
for the views of opponents etc.
 In lobbying for the concerns and needs of women, students, farmers, environmentalists, trade unions,
lawyers, doctors etc.
 As a training center for future political leaders.
 In the development and spread of public education system and quality control.
 By mediating in settling disputes.
 In supporting every right rule and opposing unfair rules.
 To ensure free, peaceful polling and counting of votes by appointing neutral observers at various polling
stations.
 As a non-governmental organization, in increasing the quality of administration by efficient implementation
of many schemes of the government.
 In forcing the market to respect social beliefs and values.
 The Right to Information Act, which is considered a milestone in the direction of transparency, is the result
of the Right to Information movement of civil society.

17 | P a g e Address – Patrika Building Infront of GDA, phoolbagh Gwalior (M.P.) | Cont. us – 7524821440