CBSE Class 10 Social Science Political Parties Assignment Set B

Assertion and Reasoning Based Questions

Mark the option which is most suitable:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true. 

Question : Assertion : Large established parties are called recognised parties.
Reason : These parties have been given certain specialised symbols that people can rally behind.
Answer : (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. 

Question : Assertion : In a democracy, political parties are a must.
Reason : Without Political Parties there will be no elections.
Answer : (c) A is true but R is false. 

Question : Assertion : Political parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society.
Reason : Parties work to convince people why their policies are better than others and implement them by seeking popular support.
Answer : Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Question : Name the regional party of Sikkim along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Sikkim is Sikkim Democratic Front and its symbol is Umbrella. 

Question : Consider the following statements on parties.
(i) Political parties do not enjoy much trust among the people.
(ii) Parties are often rocked by scandals involving top party leaders.
(iii) Parties are not necessary to run governments.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) (i), (ii), and (iii)
(b) (i) and (ii)
(c) (ii) and (iii)
(d) (i) and (iii)
Answer : (b) (i) and (ii) 

Question : Define one-party system.
Answer : One party system refers to a system in which only one party can control and run government. 

Question : Name the regional party of Haryana along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Haryana is Indian National Lok Dal and its symbol is Spectacles. 

Question : Why India chose to have a multi-party system?
Answer : Since India is a socially and regionally diverse country, so in order to provide expression to diverse opinions and views it has a multi-party system. 

Question : Name the regional party of Uttarakhand along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Uttarakhand is Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and its symbol is Chair. 

Question : Name the regional party of Maharashtra along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Maharashtra is Shiv Sena and its symbol is Bow and Arrow. 

Question : How does a society decide about its party system?
Answer : A society decides about its party system based on its regional and social divisions, historical background of its political system and its system of election. 

Question : Does one-party system comply with the principles of democracy?
Answer : No, one-party system doesn't comply with the principles of democracy because here only the member of one party contest elections and hold power and others do not get chance. Every democratic system should have at least two parties for giving a fair chance to compete and come into power. 

Question : Why is one-party system not considered a good Party System for democratic principle?
Answer : One-party system is not considered a good Party System for democratic principle as it doesn't offer any choice to voters as well as other Political Parties to contest elections. 

Question : Name the regional party of Bihar along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Bihar is Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and its symbol is Bow and Arrow. 

Question : Why did India adopt a multi-party system ?
Answer : India is a large and complex country with social and regional diversities. A multi-party system enables it to give representation to people from diverse backgrounds.

Question. Examine the reason to accept multi – party system in India . 
Answer: Because it is easy to absorb different social and geographical diversities in multi- party system.

Question. Name a country that has one party system. 
Answer: China.

Question. What is an important function of a political party in India?
Answer: To contest elections.

Question. Why is one party political system not considered a good democratic system? 
Answer: Because one party system has no democratic option.

Question. Why do political parties involve partisanship? 
Answer: Because parties are about a part of the society and thus they involve partisanship.

Question. Name any two regional parties of West Bengal. 
Answer: (i) Forward Bloc (ii) Trinamool Congress

Question. When was the Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) formed? 
Answer: CPI-M was formed in 1964.

Very Short Answer Questions 

Question : 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 : What are the three main components of a political party?
Answer:
1. The leaders;
2. The active members; and
3. The followers

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

Question : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : Why did India adopt multi-party system? Give reasons.
Answer: India adopted multi-party system because:
• India is a large country and has social and geographical diversities.
• It is easy to absorb different diversities in a multi-party system.

Question : 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

Short Answer Type Questions 

Question : What is meant by regional political party? State the conditions required to be recognised as a ‘regional political party.’
Answer : The parties which are able to succeed in some states are called state or regional parties. The conditions required to be recognised as a 'regional political party' are as follows:
(i) To get at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the States' Legislative Assembly.
(ii) To win at least two seats in the States' Legislative Assembly. 

Question : How is an alliance government formed ?
Answer : When any party is not able to prove majority in elections in a multi-party system, two or more than two parties join to form an alliance government. The coalition partners in an alliance government or coalition government have common goals and agendas. 

Question : Analyse the three components of a political party.
Answer : The various components of a political party are :
(i) The leaders : The political party has leaders who administer the country on winning the election.
(ii) The active members : They are one level above the followers and assist the leaders for getting knowledge about politics.
(iii) The followers : They keenly follow the leaders and work under the guidance of the active members. 

Question : “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 or regional parties don't necessarily have regional ideologies. Some of these parties can be regarded as all India party as they have succeeded in some states. When the national parties are not able to prove majority in the Lok Sabha, it seeks alliance with state parties. Since 1996, every state party got an opportunity to become a part of a national level coalition. Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalitions as it helps state parties to expand their reach beyond a state and helps them to become more significant.

Question : 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, and thenortheast and rural areas.

Question : “No party system is ideal for all countries and in all situations.” Justify the statementwith 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.
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 : Describe the three components of a political party.
Answer: Components of a political party are:
1. The leaders,
2. active members and
3. The followers.
• The leaders are recruited and trained by parties. They are made ministers to run the government. The political executives that come from the political parties take the big
policy decisions.
• 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. However,since most of the members belong to a party, they go by the direction of the party leadership, irrespective of their personal opinion.
• The followers are the ordinary citizens, who believe in the policies of their respective party and give popular support through elections. Often the opinion of the followers crystallise on the lines parties take.

Question : 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, various parties coming together in a coalition form the government. 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 two or three parties cannot absorb its social and geographical diversity.
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 : “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 : “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.
Therefore, 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. Members of a particular family, which is unfair to other members of the party, and bad for democracy, always control the top positions. 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 : 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. Largely all these units follow the same policies, programmes and strategy that is decided at the national level.
Conditions required being a national political party:
• A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in general elections of Lok Sabha or assembly elections in four states.
• A party that wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Question : 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 a party to be recognized as a regional political party:
• A party that secures atleast six percent of the total votes in an election to the legislative assembly of a state.
• Wins atleast two seats in the legislative assembly.

Question : “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, and Samata Party.

Question : Name any six regional political parties of the four southern states of India.
Answer : • The four southern states with regional political parties are as follows.
• Kerala: Indian Federal Democratic Party and Kerala Congress (Mani)
• Tamil Nadu: All India Anna DMK and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
• Andhra Pradesh: Telugu Desam Party
• Karnataka: Janata Dal (Secular)

Question : How do money and muscle power play an important role in elections? Explain.
Answer : Ans. Nowadays elections are focused mainly on winning at any cost so parties try to use shortcuts like money and muscle power.
• They try to select or nominate those candidates who can raise money or provide muscle power.
• Sometimes, wealthy people and big companies also get involved in the democratic politics for their own interest and influence decision-making process.
• In many cases, candidates with criminal records, who can win elections, are supported.

Question : Name the regional political parties predominant in Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur, respectively with their symbols.
Answer : • The regional political parties predominant in:
• Sikkim—Sikkim Democratic Front, symbol: an umbrella
• Nagaland—Nagaland People’s Front, symbol: a cock
• Manipur—Manipur People’s Party, symbol: a cycle

Question : ‘Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be part of one or the other national-level coalition.’ Support the statement with arguments
Answer : Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be part of one or the other national level coalition because:
• the members of the state party get a chance of being included in the cabinet or the council of ministers.
• state parties get an opportunity and a platform to express their views and ideology at the national level.
• it helps in strengthening of federalism and democracy, and thus bringing diversity in the parliament.

Question : Analyse the three components of a political party. 
Answer: The three components of a political party are as follows:
• The leaders. A political party consists of leaders, who contest elections and if they win the elections, they perform the administrative jobs.
• 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.
• The followers. They are the ardent followers of the parties and their leaders and support them in the elections.

Long Answer Type Questions 

Question. 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) gets inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values. Four important features:
a. Cultural nationalism or ‘Hindutva’ is an important element in its conception of Indian nationhood and politics.
b. The party wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
c. A uniform civil code for all people living in the country irrespective of religion and ban on religious conversions.
d. Its support base increased substantially in the 1990s.

Question. Explain two functions each of the ruling party as well of the opposition parties.
Answer : Functions of the ruling parties:
a. They play a major role in making laws for the country.
b. They form the government and run the country.
c. They recruit leaders, train them and then make ministers to run the government.
Functions of the opposition parties:
a. They oppose the government by voicing different views.
b. They criticise government for its failure and wrong policies.
c. They mobilise opposition to the government.

Question. How do political parties help in shaping public opinion? Explain.
Answer : Role of political parties in shaping public opinion as:
a. They raise and highlight issues.
b. They form pressure groups as an extension.
c. They launch movement for the resolution of problems faced by the people.
d. They have lakhs of members and activists.

Question. What do you understand by the bi-party system? Write its one merit and one demerit.
Answer : Bi-party system: a. In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties.
It is also known as two party system.
b. In this system, the government is formed by one party and the other plays the role of opposition.
Merit: This system allows stability of government as no coalition is there. Demerit: In this system, only two main parties have a serious chance of winning majority seats to form the government.

Question. What is a multi-party system? Explain merits and demerits of multi-party system.
Answer : If several parties compete for power and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with others, we call it a multi-party system. Merits:
a. This system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.
b. People can make a choice between several candidates.
Demerits: a. No one party is likely to gain power alone. Therefore, it leads to difficulty in formation of government. ‘
b. Leads to political instability and often appears to be very messy.

Question. What is meant by national parties? State the criteria for recognizing a party as National and State party.
Answer : Democracies that follow a federal system all over the world tend to have two kinds of political parties— Parties that are present in only one of the federal units and parties that are present in several or all units of the federation. Those parties which are countrywide parties are called national parties.
National and State Parties:
a. A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognized as a state party.
b. A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognized as a national party. 

Question. Explain any four problem areas in the working of political parties.
Answer : a. Lack of internal democracy: The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties. Concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. b. Dynastic succession: Favour people close to them or even their family members. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family. c. Money and muscle power: The third challenge is about growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections. d. Meaningful choice: The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters.

Question. Why is there a lack of internal democracy within the political parties in India? Explain with examples.
Answer : There are various reasons for lack of democracy within the political parties in India: a. Concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. b. Details of membership are not registered in the parties. c. No organizational meetings. d. No internal elections for membership within the party. e. Top leaders have unanimous power of decision making.

Question. “Political parties play a major role in democracy.” Explain any five points to justify this statement. [CBSE 2012] or “Political parties are rightly called the government in disguise.” Justify the statement in reference to democratic politics by giving five arguments.
Answer : The political parties play an important role in democracy as:
1. Parties contest election: In most democracies elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by political parties.
2. Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters choose from them.
3. Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
4. Parties shape public opinions. They raise and highlight issues.
5. Parties form and run governments.
6. Role of opposition: Opposition role is important in democracy as it voices different views and criticizes government for its failures or wrong policies.
7. Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments.

Question : Examine any two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders in India.
Answer : Two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders are:
(i) There is a tendency among MPs and MLAs to change parties frequently for selfish motives. Our constitution has been amended to prevent the changing of parties by elected MPs and MLAs. Legally, those MLAs and MPs who attempt defection will lose the seats in the legislature.
(ii) The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the effect of money and criminals. It is compulsory for a candidate desirous of contesting elections to provide an affidavit about his/her property details and criminal cases pending against him/her. The Election Commission passed an order which makes it mandatory for political parties to hold their organisational elections and to file their income tax returns. 

Question : What is the significance of regional parties in India?
Answer : Regional parties play a dominant role in a multi-regional country like India. Their significance has increased in the past few decades. They address the regional problems of the states which are not tackled by the Central government, as these parties, due to their local presence, know better about the local issues and have better knowledge about the ways to solve them. Moreover, it is also convenient for the local people to approach regional party leaders for their grievances. In the age of coalition governments, when no party is able to obtain an absolute majority, regional parties support in the formation of a government. Some regional parties have been able to gain nation wide recognition with their presence in several states, like Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samta Party etc. 

Question : Kishenji is no more. What would be your advice to these four activists? Should they form a new political party? Can a political party become a moral force in politics? What should that party be like?
Answer : These four activists should move ahead with their ideas of formation of a political party. It is the only way to bring about welfare of the society and also it is the need of today. Initially, they may be resisted by the people, but gradually they will be able to win the trust of the people when they will be able to materialise their promises. Today;s political parties should focus on the immediate needs of the people. But such party should choose only those candidates who are willing to serve the society. It will be better if such a candidate is chosen from local areas as he/she will be familiar with the problems of the area and the ways for solving them. Such a party can play a significant role of an opposition party, even if it is not able to come to power.

Question : Categorise these photographs by the functions of political parties they illustrate.

Answer : (i) Playing the role of opposition party.
(ii) Implementation of policies and programmes.
(iii) Election campaigns.

Question : Explain any five functions of the ruling party.
Answer : Functions of the ruling party are as follows:
(i) A ruling party is one which has achived a majority in legisleture offer winning the elections. Ruling party guarantees that the nation keeps running according to set belief systems and procedures.
(ii) Ruling Party offers representation to different groups of the society, along with acknowledgment to the minorities and gives access to individuals to government machinery. The citizens can likewise vent their complaints to the nearby local party leaders regarding any arrangement and its execution.
(iii) Party in power reassures and makes individuals aware about its welfare plans, it encourages individuals to think about its accomplishments, its plans, benefits and advantages.
(iv) It establishes foreign relations and frames the foreign policy of the country. Thus, the future and reputation of the country is upheld by it.
(v) Ruling party organises schemes and campaigns for the welfare of the people. It makes schemes for the cultural and economic development of the society. 

Question : Discuss the major differences between policies of CPI and CPI-M.
Answer :

Question : Suggest some reforms to strengthen parties so that they perform their functions well.
Answer : Some reforms to strengthen parties so that they perform their functions well are as follows:
(i) Our constitution has been amended to prevent changing of parties by elected MPs and MLAs. Legally, those MLAs and MPs who attempt defection will lose the seats in the legislature.
(ii) The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the effect of money and criminals. It is compulsory for a candidate, desirous of contesting elections, to provide an affidavit about his property details and criminal cases pending against him.
(iii) The Election Commission passed an order which makes it mandatory for political parties to hold their organisational elections and urges them to file their income tax returns. 

Question : Do you think that dynastic succession is a challenge to political parties ?
Answer : Dynastic succession refers to offering unfair political advantages given to favourite people, family members and friends. However, such a practice shatters the spirit of democracy as incapable and inexperienced people come into power. Such a system lacks transparency and openness. An ordinary member of political party will never be able to come to the top position as equal opportunities are not offered to all members. Moreover, ruling of several generations of a family is against the principles of democracy as it will fail to bring about any change.

Question : ‘Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy.’ Analyse the statement with examples.
Answer : In a democratic set-up, political parties are required because without political parties:
• every candidate in the elections will be independent. No promises could be made and the utility of the government formed will remain uncertain.
• no one will be responsible for running the country. Elected representatives will only be accountable to their constituency
• there will be no agency to gather and present different views on various issues to the government.
• no one will be responsible for bringing various representatives together so as to form a responsible government.
• there will be no mechanism to support the government, make policies and justify or oppose them.

Question : How do state or regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in India? Explain with examples.
Answer : State and regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in India in the following ways.
• They provide a variety of choice to people as each of them has different agendas and focus on different issues.
• They provide a platform for different pressure and social groups, and communities to put forward their demands.
• They help in power sharing by sharing power of government with the help of coalition government

Question : Examine any two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders.
Answer : The following are the two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders.
• Anti-defection law: The anti-defection law was passed to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing their parties. It was seen that many MLAs and MPs were changing their parties for personal gains. Now, according to the law, if any MLA or MP changes his/her party, his/her seat in the legislature will be lost. Also, MLAs and MPs have to accept whatever the party leaders decide.
• Affidavit: To reduce the influence of money and muscle power (criminals), an order has been passed by the Supreme Court making it mandatory for every candidate contesting election to file an affidavit giving details of his/her property and criminal records. This system has helped in making a lot of information available to the public. But, we cannot say that this amendment has been successful as it cannot be said that information provided by the candidates is true.
• Mandatory organisational meeting and filing of ITR: An order has been passed by the Election Commission making it mandatory for political parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns. The parties have started doing this, but sometimes it is only a formality. It is not clear if this step has brought some reform or not. {any two)

Question : Suggest and explain any five measures to reform political parties.
Answer : The following reforms could be suggested in order to strengthen parties so that they perform their functions well.
• Regulation of party’s internal affairs: A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political parties. It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a register of their members, to follow their own constitution, to have an independent authority, etc.
• State funding: There should be state funding of elections. The government should give money to parties to support their election expenses to avoid corruption.
• Pressure of public opinion: Political parties can be reformed if people put pressure on them.
This can be done through petitions, propaganda and agitations. Pressure groups and media play an important role in this.
• Ban on political parties based on religion and caste: The Election Commission should ban the political parties which are formed on the basis of religion and caste.
• Ensure women participation: It should be made mandatory for all political parties to allot onethird of the tickets to women to ensure their decisive voice in decision making.If the abovementioned suggestions are taken into consideration, it can be ensured that these could lead to some improvement in the working of the political parties.

Question : ‘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 the statement.
Answer : The statement has two parts.
• About a hundred years ago, there were few countries that had hardly any political party. It shows that very few countries were democratic countries and if they were not democracies, there was no need for political parties.
• Now there are few countries that do not have political parties. In the last hundred years many countries became independent from colonial control. After independence, they adopted democratic governments. So there was an increasing necessity for political parties.
The political parties have become very important in a democratic country because of the following reasons.
• Not having political parties will lead to chaos and turmoil in the society. It will be against democratic principles.
• Without parties, candidates elected will be independent and will not be able to make policies.
They will not be responsible and accountable to the people.
• The existence of parties in a democracy ensures that a country runs as per its policies and ideologies and have a government which is answerable to the people.

Question : Describe any five major functions of political parties
Answer : The following are the various functions political parties perform in a democracy.
• Contest elections: Parties contest elections. In countries like India, top party leaders choose candidates for contesting elections.
• Put forward policies and programmes: Parties put forward different policies and programmes and voters choose from them. Political parties accommodate different views and opinions.
• Play an important role in making laws: Political parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country. Formally, laws are debated and passed in the legislature, but since most of the members belong to a party, they go by the direction of the party leadership, irrespective of their personal opinions.
• Form and run government: To run the government, political parties prepare a council of ministers by recruiting and training the leaders.
• Provide access to government machinery and welfare schemes: Political parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments. For an ordinary citizen, it is easy to approach a local party leader than a government officer.
• Play the role of position: The party which loses election plays the role of opposition.
Opposition party tries to put checks on the ruling party by constantly criticizing its policies.
• Shape public opinion: One of the most important functions of political parties is that they shape public opinion on relevant issues for the proper functioning of the government and to deepen the concept of democracy

Question : How is dynastic succession a major challenge for political parties in India? Explain.
Answer : The challenge of dynastic succession is undoubtedly a major challenge for political parties in India.
The following points explain this.
• Usually, an ordinary worker does not rise to the top positions in a party because the functioning of most political parties is not transparent.
• Most of the top leaders favour and choose members of their families. This is unfair to other members.
• The top positions are always controlled by members of one family. This is unhealthy for democracy.
• People who are at top levels usually do no have adequate experience, education or popular support.
• The challenge of dynastic succession is related to the challenge of lack of internal democracy.
Non-deserving leaders exercise paramount power and make decisions. Those who disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.
 

Source/Case Based Questions 

Question : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : 
Political parties are easily one of the most visible institutions in a democracy. For most ordinary citizens, democracy is equal to political parties. If you travel to remote parts of our country and speak to the less educated citizens, you could come across people who may not know anything about our Constitution or about the nature of our government. But chances are that they would know something about our political parties. At the same time this visibility does not mean popularity. Most people tend to be very critical of political parties. They tend to blame parties for all that is wrong with our democracy and our political life. Parties have become identified with social and political divisions. Therefore, it is natural to ask - do we need political parties at all? About hundred years ago there were few countries of the world that had any political party. Now there are few that do not have parties. Why did political parties become so omnipresent in democracies all over the world ? Let us first answer what political parties are and what they do, before we say why we need them. A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote the collective good. Since there can be different views on what is good for all, parties try to persuade people why their policies are better than others. They seek to implement these policies by winning popular support through elections. Thus, parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society. Parties are about a part of the society and thus involve PARTISANSHIP. Thus a party is known by which part it stands for, which policies it supports and whose interests it upholds. 

(i) How did political parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society?
Answer : Political parties agree on some policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote collective good.
(i) Since there can be different views on what is good for all, parties try to persuade people why their policies are better than others.
(ii) They seek to implement these policies by winning popular support through elections. Thus, parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society. 

(ii) Who identifies themselves with social and political divisions?
Answer : Political parties identify themselves with social and political divisions.