Very Short Answer Questions (VSA) 1 Mark

Question 1.
What is meant by a political party?
Answer:
Political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and to hold power in the government. They agree on some policies to promote collective good. They seek to implement those policies by winning popular support through elections. Thus political parties tend to fill political offices and exercise political power.

Question 2.
What are the three main components of a political party?
Answer:

1.    The leaders;

2.    The active members; and

3.    The followers

Question 3.
How many parties are needed in any democratic system to compete in elections and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to power?
Answer:
At least two parties.

Question 4.
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.

Question 5.
In which state does ‘Biju Janata Dal’ exist as a regional party?
Answer:
Odisha (Orissa)

Question 6.
In which state does the ‘Rashtriya Lok Dal’ exist as a regional party?
Answer:
Uttar Pradesh

Question 7.
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.

Question 8.
What does Universal Adult Suffrage stand for?
Answer:
Universal Adult suffrage stands for the ‘Right to Vote’.

Question 9.
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.

Question 10.
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.

Question 11.
Name the national political party which draws inspiration from the teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Answer:
Bahujan Samaj Party.

Question 13.
Name any two regional parties of West Bengal.
Answer:

1.    Forward BLOCK (1940),

2.    TRINAMOOL CONGRESS (1997).

Question 14.
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.

Question 15.
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.

Question 16.
Why did India adopt multi-party system? Give reasons.
Answer:
India adopted multi-party system because:

1.    India is a large country and has social and geographical diversities.

2.    It is easy to absorb different diversities in a multi-party system.

Question 17.
Why do political parties involve partisanship?
Answer:
Partisanship is marked by a tendency to take a side and inability to take a balanced view on an issue. Parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society. Parties are a part of the society and they involve partisanship.

Question 18.
Mention the ideology of Indian National Congress.
Answer:
Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian National Congress sought to build a modern secular democratic republic in India. The party propagates secularism and welfare of the weaker sections and minorities of society. It supports new economic reforms but with a human face.

Question 19.
Name any one political party of India which grew out of a movement.
Answer:
Asom Gana Parishad.

Question 20.
What do you understand by a political party?
Answer:
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on the some policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote the collective good.

Question 21.
What are the three main components of a political party
Answer:
A political party has three components:

1. The leaders


2. The active members, and


3. The followers.

Question 22.
“Parties play a decisive role in law-making for country. ” Discuss.
Answer:

1.    Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country formally, laws are debated and passed in legislature.

2.    But since most of the members belong to a party, they go by the direction of the party leadership, irrespective of their personal opinions.

Question 23.
Explain any four functions of the political parties.
Answer:

1. Parties contest elections.


2. Parties form and run government.


3. Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.


4. Parties shape public opinion.

Question 24.
How do parties form and run government?
Answer:

1. Different political parties take part in elections. A party winning maximum number of seals in the election is invited to form the government.


2. The big policy decision are taken by political executive that comes from political parties.


3. Parties recruit leaders, trains them and then make them ministers to run the government in the way they want.

Question 25.
“Parties shape public opinion. ” How?
Answer:

1.    Parties shape public opinion. They and highlight issues. Parties have lakhs of members and activities spread all over the country.

2.    Many of the pressure groups are the extension of political parties among different sections of society.

3.    Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people.

Question 26.
Describe the role of opposition party in a democracy?
Answer:

1.    Those parties that lose in the election play the opposition to the power, by voicing different views and criticizing government for its failures or wrong policies.

2.    Opposition parties also mobilize opposition to the government.

Question 27.
Define one-party system.
Answer:
In some countries, only one party is allowed to and run government. These ore called one-party systems. Ex. – China, Cuba, North Korea.

Question 28.
What is meant by two-party?
Answer:
In the two-party system there two major parties in the political sphere There parties also but they partner with the parties. To win the elections winning party has to get the maximum votes this is followed Great Britain and the USA.

Question 29.
Is one-party system good for democracy?
Answer:

1.    We cannot consider one System as a good option because this is not democratic option.

2.    Any democratic system must allow at least two parties compete in elections and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to power.

Question 30.
Explain the meaning of an alliance or a front with suitable example.
Answer:
When several parties in a multi-party system join hands for the purpose contesting elections and winning power it is called an alliance or front. For example, in India, there were three such major alliances in 2004 parliamentary elections the National Democratic Alliance, the United Progressive Alliance and the left Front.

Question 31.
Give one positive and one negative point about the multi-party system.
Answer:

1. Negative point: The multi-party system often appears very messy and leads to political instability.


2. Positive Point: At the same time, this system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.

Question 32.
What is meant by a National Party?
Answer:
A political party that wins at least six per cent of the votes in the Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and win at least four seats in the Lok Sabha, is recognized as a National party.

Question 33.
What is meant by the state party?
Answer:
A political party that secures at least six per cent of votes in an election to legislative assembly of a state and wins at least two seats in recognized as state party.

Question 34.
What kind of political parties are found in a federal democratic system?
Answer:
Democracies that follow a federal system all over the world tend to have two kins of polt parties.

1.    Parties that are present in only one of the federal units and

2.    Parties that are present in several or all units of the federation.

Question 35.
Name one regional party each from the following states of India: UP, Manipur, Mizoram, Goa, Kerala and Orissa.
Answer:

1.    UP- Samajwadi Party (SP)

2.    Manipur- Manipur People’s (MPP)

3.    Mizoram – Mizo National Front (MNF)

4.    Goa – United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP)

5.    Kerala – Indian Federal Democratic Party (IFDP)

6.    Orissa- Biju Janta Dal (BJD).

Question 36.
What are the major challenges before the political parties?
Answer:
There are four major challenges before the political parties:

1.    Lack of internal democracy

2.    Dynastic succession

3.    Role of money and muscle power and

4.    No meaningful choice of parties among the voters.

Question 37.
Describe the efforts made by the Election Commission to bring internal democracy in political parties.
Answer:

1. The election commission passed an order making it necessary for political to hold their organizational election and file their income tax returns
2. The parties have starting doing so, sometimes only informality. It is not clear if this step has led to greater internal democracy in political parties.

Question 38.
What do you mean by multi-party system?
Answer:
In this system, there are three or more Parties. Every party has the capacity to win the elections and form the government. Each party competes and contests the elections. Sometimes no party gets the majority and several parties join together to form the government. This system is followed in Denmark and India.

Question 39.
Write a short note on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Answer:
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was formed in 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. It seeks to represent and secure power for the Bahujan Samaj which includes the Dalits, Adivasis OBCs and religious minorities. It draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Pule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar. It stands for the cause of securing the interest and welfare of the Dalits and oppressed people.

It has been its main base in the state of Uttar Pradesh and -substantial presence in neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab. It formed government in Uttar Pradesh several times by taking support of different parties at different times. In the Lok Sabha elections held in 2004, it polled about 5 per cent votes and secured 19 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Question 40.
Describe the policies and programmes of Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M).
Answer:
Communist party of India – Marxist (CPIM) was founded in 1964. It believes in Marxism Leninism. It supports socialism Secularism and democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism. Its enjoys strong support in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, especially among the poor, factory workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and intelligentsia.

This party is critical of the new economic policies that allows free flow of foreign capital and goods into the country. It has been in power in West Bengal without a break for 30 years. In 2004 elections, it won about 6 percent of votes and 43 seats in the Lok Sabha. Currently, it supports the UPA government from outside, without joining the government.

Question 41.
How does dynastic succession affect party and democracy?
OR
Dynastic succession is a great challenge to political parties. Elucidate with suitable example.
Answer:

1.    Since most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few ways for ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.

2.    Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour people close to them or even their family members.

3.    In many parties, the top position are always controlled by members of one family.

4.    This is unfair to other members of that party. This is also bad for democracy since people who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to occupy positions of power.

Question 42.
Discuss the role of money and muscle power in democracy
Answer:

1.    Nowadays, the growing role of money and muscle power in political parties, especially during the election during the election has increased. It has posed a great challenge to democracy.

2.    Since parties are focused only on winning election, they tend to use short- cuts to win
elections. They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money. Later on such People influence the policies of the party, spread corruption and Damage the image of the party they belong to.

3.    Some rich people and companies who give funds to the Parties tend to have influence on the policies and decisions of the Party.

4.    In some cases, parties support criminals who can win Elections. Democrats all over the world are worried about the Increasing role of rich people and big companies in democratic because such trends prove unhealthy both for the party And democracy on the long run.

Question 43.
The quality of the democracy depends on the degree of Public Participation. Justify.
Answer:

1.    Since the democracy is people’s own government so greater Public participation will strengthen democracy.

2.    People’s greater participation ensures better quality Politics.

3.    To choose the right kind of representatives is in the self-interest of the people. For this, they must take active part in politics.

4.    The degree of public participation. It is difficult to reform Politics if ordinary citizens do not take part in it and simply criticize. lt from outside. The problems of bad policies can be solved by more and better politics.

Question 44.
Parties are necessary conditions for a democracy. Discuss.
OR
What is the necessity of a political party?
Answer:
We can understand the necessity of political party by Imaging a situation without parties.

Every candidate in the election will be independent. So no one will be able to make any promises to the people about any Major policy changes.

The government may be formed, but its utility will remain ever uncertain.

Elected representatives will be accountable to their constituency for what they do in the locality. But no one will be responsible for how the country run.

We can also think about it by looking at the non – party-based elections to the panchayat in many states. Although the parties do not contest formally, it is generally noticed that the village gets split into more than one faction, each of which puts up a ‘panel’ of its candidates.

This is exactly what the party does. That is the reason we find political parties in almost all countries of the world, whether these countries are big or small, old or new, developed or developing.

Question 45.
How can you say that the future of popular participation in political parties in India is bright?
Answer:
Generally, it is said that political parties are facing a crisis because they are very unpopular and the citizens are indifferent to political parties. The available evidence, based shows that this belief is only partly true for India.

The evidence-based on a series of large sample surveys conducted over several decades show that:

1.    Political parties do not enjoy much trust among the people in South Asia. The proportion of those who say their trust in political parties is ‘not much’ or ‘not at all’ is more than those have ‘some’ or ‘great 7 trust.

2.    The same is true of most other democracies as well. Political parties are one of the least trusted institutions all over the world.

3.    Yes the level of participation in the activities of political parties was fairly high. The proportion of those who said they were members of any political party was higher in India than many advanced countries like Canada, Japan and South Korea.

4.    Over the last three decades, the proportion of those who report to be members of Political parties in India has gone up steadily.

5.    The proportion of those who say they feel ‘close to a political party 7 has gone up to in India in this period. So, we certainly say that the future of popular participation in political parties in India is bright.

Question 46.
Describe the rise of Indian National Congress (INC) as one of the most important political party in India.
Answer:
Indian National Congress (INC) is popularly known as the Congress Party. It is one of the oldest parties the world. It was founded in 1885 and has experienced many splits. It played dominant role in Indian politics at the national and state level for several decades after India’s independence. Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the party sought to build a modem secular, democratic republic in India. It was a single 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, cutting across social divisions. A centrist party ( neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation, the party espouses secularism and welfare for weaker sections and minorities. This party supports new economic reforms but with a human face. It emerged as the largest party with 145 members in the Lok Sabha elections held in 2004. It currently leads the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition government at the centre.

Question 47.
Discuss the policies and programmes of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).
Answer:
Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) was founded in 1980 by reviving the erstwhile Bhartiya Jana Sangh. It wants to build a strong and modem India by drawing inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values.
Cultural nationalism (or ‘Hindutva’ ) is a important element in its conception of Indian national hood and politics.

It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu & Kashmir with India, a common civil code for all people living in the country irrespective of religion, and ban on religious conversion. Its support base increased substantially in the 1990s.

Earlier it was limited to north and west and to urban areas, the party expanded its support in the South, east the northeast and no rural areas n. It came to power in 1998, as the leader the of National Democracy Alliance including several state and regional parties. It lost election in 2004 and is the main opposition party in Lok Sabha.

Question 48.
Explain the contribution of regional parties in strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country.
Answer:
Other than six national parties, most of the major parties of India are classified as ‘Statearties’ commonly referred to as regional parties by the election commission.

Yet these parties need not be regional in their ideology or outlook. Some of these parties are all – India parties that happen to have succeeded only in some states.

Parties like the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal have national-level political organizations with units in several states. Some of these parties like Biju Janata Dal, Sikkim Democratic Front and Mizo National Front are conscious about their state identify.

At the same time this has made any dissent even more difficult. MPs and MLAs have to accept whatever the party leaders decide.

The Supreme Court has 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.

The new system has made a lot of, information available to the public.

 

Short Answer Questions (SA) 3 Marks

Question 49.
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.

Question 50.
“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.

Question 51.
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.

1.    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.

2.    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.

3.    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 crystallise on the lines parties take.

Question 52.
What is a multi-party system? Why has India adopted a multi-party system? Explain.
Or
How has multi-party system strengthened democracy in India?
Answer:
Multi-party system. In this system, the government is formed by various parties coming together in a coalition. 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.

For example, in India there were three major alliances in 2004 parliamentary elections—the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Left Front. This system on one hand leads to political instability but at the same time, allows for a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.

Each country develops a party system that is suitable for its special circumstances. India has evolved as a multi-party system because its social and geographical diversity cannot be absorbed by two or three parties. Thus, such representation strengthens democracy. Multi-party system facilitates representation of regional and geographical diversities. In India, several regional parties are in power at the State level such as the DMK in Tamil Nadu, Akali Dal in Punjab the BSP in Uttar Pradesh.

Question 53.
“Lack of internal democracy within parties is the major challenge to political parties all over the world”. Analyse the statement.
Answer:

1.    Most political parties do not practise open and transparent procedures for their functioning like maintaining membership registers, holding organisational meetings or conducting internal elections regularly. Thus, ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on the happenings in the party and have no means to influence the decisions.

2.    Also, there are very few chances for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party. Since one or, at the most, a few leaders exercise paramount power in the party, those who disagree with the leadership, find it difficult to continue in the party.

3.    Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position to take undue advantage and favour people close to them or even their family members. And, in many parties, the top positions are invariably controlled by members of one family which is bad for democracy.

Question 54.
“Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the political parties.” Analyse the statement.
Answer:
Most political parties do not practise 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. Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage as they favour people close to them or even their family members. In many parties in India, we see a trend of dynastic succession. The top positions are always controlled by members of a particular family, which is unfair to other members of the party, and bad for democracy. This is so because people who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to occupy positions of power.

More than loyalty to party principles and policies, personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important. This tendency is seen all over the world, even in older democracies.

Question 55.
What is meant by a ‘national political party’? State the conditions required to be a national political party.
Answer:
National political parties have their units in various states. By and large all these units follow the same policies, programmes and strategy that is decided at the national level.
Conditions required to be a national political party:

1.    A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in general elections of Lok Sabha or assembly elections in four states.

2.    A party that wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Question 56.
What is meant by regional political party? State the conditions required to be recognised as a ‘regional political party’.
Answer:
A regional party is a party that is present in only some states. Regional parties or State parties need not be regional in their ideology. They have state identity as they are present only in some states. Some of these parties are all India parties that happen to have succeeded only in states. Example, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal.
Conditions required for a party to be recognized as a regional political party:

1.    A party that secures atleast six percent of the total votes in an election to the legislative assembly of a state.

2.    Wins atleast two seats in the legislative assembly.

Question 57.
“Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition.” Support the statement with arguments.
Answer:
The state parties also referred to as regional parties are not necessarily regional in ideology. Some of these parties are all India parties that happen to have succeeded only in some states. Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded. Before the general elections one national party was able to secure on its own a majority in the Lok Sabha.

As a result, the national parties were compelled to form alliances with state parties.

Since 1996, nearly every one of the state parties got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government. This contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy. Example of state parties having national level political organisation with units in several states are Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samata Party.

Question 58.
Analyse the three components of a political party.
Answer:
The three components of a political party are as follows:

1.    The leaders. A political party consists of leaders, who contest elections and if they win the elections, they perform the administrative jobs.

2.    The active members. They are the ones who work actively for the party. They are the assistants of the leaders and implement the plans and ideologies of the political party.

3.    The followers. They are the ardent followers of the parties and their leaders and support them in the elections.

Long Answer Questions (LA)

Question 59.
Explain any five suggestions to reform political parties in India.
Or
Suggest and explain any five effective measures to reform political parties.
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.

Question 60.
Explain the growing role of money and muscle power in political parties.
Or
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.

Question 61.
Why do we need political parties? Explain.
Or
Describe any five major functions performed by political parties.
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.

Question 62.
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 ensures 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.

1.    They target the government and aim at dislodging and discrediting the government for all the ills and the troubles the people face;

2.    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.

Question 63.
“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.

Question 64.
“All over the world, people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of political parties to perform their functions well.” Analyse the statement with arguments.
Or, which three challenges do you feel are being faced by political parties in India? Give your opinion.
Or, Identify and explain challenges which political parties need to face and overcome in order to remain affective instruments of democracy.
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.

Question 65.
“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.

Question 66.
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.