CBSE Class 10 Political Science Political Parties Worksheet

Multiple Choice Questions

Question. This sign belongs to which political party ?

(a) Bharatiya Janata Party
(b) Bahujan Samaj Party
(c) Communist Party of India
(d) Indian National Congress

Answer : (c) Communist Party of India

Question. What is the main aim of political parties?
(a) To provide information
(b) To publicise its policies
(c) To capture and maintain power through winning elections
(d) To help poor people

Answer : (c) To capture and maintain power through winning elections

Question. What is the guiding philosophy of Bharatiya Janata Party?
(a) Cultural Nationalism or Hindutva
(b) Religion above all
(c) No discrimination on the basis of caste.
(d) Equal opportunity for all

Answer : (a) Cultural Nationalism or Hindutva

Question. Which among the following is a correct matched pair about foundation of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ?
(a) 1982 - Mayawati
(b) 1984- Kanshi Ram
(c) 1985 - Mulayam Singh Yadav
(d) 1986 - Bhajanlal

Answer : (b) 1984- Kanshi Ram

Question. A signed document submitted to an officer regarding his/her personal information is ______ :
(a) Affidavit
(b) Declaration
(c) Agreement
(d) Appear

Answer : (a) Affidavit

Question. To whom political parties should register them for contesting the elections ?
(a) State government
(b) Central government
(c) Election Commission
(d) None of the above

Answer : (c) Election Commission

Question. Who among the following recognises political parties in India?
(a) Election Commission
(b) President of India
(c) Speaker of the Lok Sabha
(d) Supreme Court

Answer : (a) Election Commission

Question. Any party with 6% of total votes in the Lok Sabha or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least 4 seats in Lok Sabha is recognized as :
(a) National Party
(b) Regional Party
(c) State Party
(d) Factional Party

Answer : (a) National Party

Question. Which form of government follows multi-party system?
(a) Monarchy
(b) Anarchy
(c) Democracy
(d) Fascism

Answer : (c) Democracy

Question. The system of two parties is known as ?
(a) Uni-party system
(b) Multi-party system
(c) Bi-party system
(d) None of these

Answer : (c) Bi-party system

Question. ______ parties are needed in any democratic system to compete in elections and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to power :
(a) Less than two
(b) At least two parties
(c) More than two parties
(d) At least three parties

Answer : (b) At least two parties

Question. Which among the following is the correct meaning of 'Alliance'?
(a) Two parties together form the government.
(b) Leftist and Rightist together form the government.
(a) When state and national parties together form the government.
(a) When several parties in a multiparty system join for the purpose of contesting elections and winning power.

Answer : (d) When several parties in a multiparty system join for the purpose of contesting elections and winning power.

ASSERTION AND REASON

Two statements are given in the question below as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the appropriate option.
Options
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: It is mandatory for every candidate who contests election to file an AFFIDAVIT .
Reason: The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals.
Answer : A

Question. Assertion: Political parties are easily one of the most visible institutions in a democracy.
Reason: For most ordinary citizens, democracy is equal to political parties.
Answer : A

Question. Assertion:- China doesn’t follow One party system
Reason:- In China only the communist party is allowed to rule
Answer : D

Question. Assertion A : Only those parties that are recognised as national parties can contest in elections for Parliament
Reason R : Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission.
Answer : D

Question. Assertion: India has evolved a multiparty system.
Reason: It is because the social and geographical diversity in such a large country is not easily absorbed by two or even three parties
Answer : A

One Word Answer Type Questions

Question. Who among the following is the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party ?
(i) Kanshi Ram.
(ii) Sahu Maharaj.
(iii) B.R. Ambedkar
(iv) Jyotiba Phule.
Answer : Kanshi Ram.

Question. Name any one political party of India which grew out of a movement.
Answer : DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).

Question. What is the guiding philosophy of the Bharatiya Janata Party ?
(i) Bahujan Samaj.
(ii) Revolutionary democracy.
(iii) Integral humanism.
(iv) Modernity.
Answer : (iv) Modernity

Question. Give the symbol of the INC.
Answer : Hand.

Question. Name any one regional party of Uttar Pradesh.
Answer : Samajwadi Party.

CASE BASED QUESTIONS

1 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. But there is no system of check if the information given by the candidates is true. As yet we do not know if it has led to decline in the influence of the rich and the criminals. The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns. The parties have started doing so but sometimes it is mere formality. It is not clear if this step has led to greater internal democracy in political parties. Besides these, many suggestions are often made to reform political parties: 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 its members, to follow its own constitution, to have an independent authority, to act as a judge
in case of party disputes, to hold open elections to the highest posts. It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to women candidates. Similarly, there should be a quota for women in the decision making bodies of the party.

Question. It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to ------ candidates.
A .Dalits
B Women
C .Youths
D. All the above
Answer : B

Question. Who appoints the Chief Election Commissioner of India?
A. Prime Minister
B Governor
C. President
D. None of these
Answer : C

Question. There were --------- recognised national parties in the country in 2019.
A. 7
B 6
C 10
D 5
Answer : A

Question. A signed document submitted to an officer, where a person makes a sworn statement regarding her personal information is known as-------
A Defection
B Affidavit
C Partisan
D Pledge
Answer : B

2 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): Founded in 1980 by reviving the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh, formed by Syama Prasad Mukherjee in 1951. Wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values; and Deendayal Upadhyaya’s ideas of integral humanism and Antyodaya. Cultural nationalism (or ‘Hindutva’) is an important element in its conception of Indian nationhood and politics Indian National Congress (INC): Popularly known as the Congress Party. One of the oldest parties of the world. Founded in 1885 and has experienced many splits. Played a dominant role in Indian politics at the national and state level for several decades after India’s Independence. centrist party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation, the party espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities . Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): Formed in 1999 following a split in the Congress party. Espouses democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice and federalism. Wants that high offices in government be confined to natural born citizens of the country. A major party in Maharashtra and has a significant presence in Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam. A coalition partner in the state of Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress. Since 2004, a member of the United Progressive Alliance

Question. Which party supports Gandhian secularism?
A. INC
B.NCP
C.CPI
D.BSP
Answer : B

Question. -------- Political party wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values
A NCP
B.BJP
C.INC
D.AITC
Answer : B

Question. ----- Political party espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities
A NCP
B.BJP
C.INC
D.AITC
Answer : C

Question. ------believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy. Opposed to the forces of secessionism and communalism.
A NCP
B.BJP
C.INC
D.CPI
Answer : D

3 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. This is the case in India as well. There are some countrywide parties, which are called ‘national parties’. These parties have their units in various states. But by and large, all these units follow the same policies, programmes and strategy that is decided at the national level. Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission. While the Commission treats all parties equally, it offers some special facilities to large and established parties. These parties are given a unique symbol – only the official candidates of that party can use that election symbol. Parties that get this privilege and some other special facilities are ‘recognised’ by the Election Commission for this purpose. That is why these parties are called, ‘recognised political parties’. The Election Commission has laid down detailed criteria of the proportion of votes and seats that a party must get in order to be a recognised party. A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least two seats is recognised as a State party. A party that secures at least six per cent 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 recognised as a national party.

Question. A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least two seats is recognised as a -------
A. Multi-party
B. Two -party
C. One -party
D. None of these
Answer : D

Question. What is the full form of UPA?
a) United progressive alliance
b) Unique public alliance
c)United public alliance
d) Unique progressive alliance
Answer : A

Question. Countrywide parties are called ----------
A State party
B Regional party
C National party
D All the above
Answer : C

Question. Which of the following is a National party?
A. Sikkim Democratic Front
B.CPI-M
C DMK
C. Kerala Congress
Answer : B

4 The inspiration behind the following imaginary narrative is Shri Kishen Patnaik (1930–2004), also known as Kishenji. He was elected as a Member of Parliament from Sambalpur, Odisha in 1962. What did Kishenji mean by an alternative political formation? The question came up in a conversation between Sudha, Karuna, Shaheen and Gracy. All four women had led very powerful people’s movements in different parts of the country. They were meeting in a village in Odisha, away from their day-to-day struggles, to think afresh the future of people’s movements. The discussion naturally turned to Kishenji, who was regarded as a friend, political philosopher and moral guide by all the movement groups in the country. He had argued that people’s movement should embrace politics openly. His argument was simple yet powerful. Movements focused on a single issue are suitable as long as we wish to achieve limited changes in a particular aspect of life. But if we wish to bring about a fundamental social transformation, or basic change even in one aspect of life, we would need a political organisation. People’s movement must establish a new political formation to act as a moral force in politics. This was an urgent task, he said, because all the existing political parties had become irrelevant for social transformation. “But Kishenji never clarified what that organisation will be. He talked of an alternative political formation or a third force in politics. But did he mean a political party?” said Gracy. She felt that an old style political party was not the right instrument for social change. Sudha agreed with her. “I have thought about it several times. I agree that all the struggles that we are involved with –the struggle against displacement, against globalisation, against caste and gender oppression and for an alternative kind of development – all this is political. But the moment we form a party, all the goodwill we have earned all these years will be lost. People will think of us as no different from other politicians.” “Besides”, added Karuna, “we have seen that a lot can be achieved by putting pressure on the existing political parties. We tried putting up candidates in panchayat elections, but the results were not very encouraging. People respect our work, they even adore us, but when it comes to voting they go for the established political parties.” Shaheen did not agree with them: “Let us be very clear. Kishenji wanted all the people’s movements to forge a new political party. Of course he wanted this party to be a different kind of a party. He was not for political alternatives, but for an alternative kind of politics.”

Question. Who was Kishen Patnaik?
A Member of Legislative assembly from Sambalpur,Odish in1962
B Member of Parliament from Sambalpur, Odisha in 1962
C Member of legislative council from Sambalpur, Odisha in 1962
D Member of Parliament from Sambalpur, Odisha in 1982
Answer : B

Question. Who were the main activists of this conversation?
A Sudha, Karuna, Shaheen and Mary
B Sudha, Kavya, Shaheen and Gracy
C Sudha, Karuna, Shaheen and Gracy
D Sudha, Kavery, Shaheen and Gracy
Answer : C

Question. All four women had led very powerful people’s ------- in different parts of the country
A Movements
B. Political parties
C .Clubs
E.Organizations
Answer : A

Question. What is the full form of NDA?
A. National Department Alliance
B National Dictator Alliance
C National Democratic Alliance
D National Director Alliance
Answer : C

5 Other than these seven parties, most of the major parties of the country are classified by the Election Commission as ‘State parties’. These are commonly referred to as regional parties. 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 organisation with units in several states. Some of these parties like Biju Janata Dal, Sikkim Democratic Front, Mizo National Front and Telangana Rashtra Samithi are conscious about their State identity. Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded. This made the Parliament of India politically more and more diverse. No one national party is able to secure on its own a majority in the Lok Sabha, until 2014. As a result, the national parties are compelled to form alliances with State parties. Since 1996, nearly every one of the State parties has got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government. This has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country.

Question. Which of the following facilities is offered by the Election Commission to a recognised political party?
A. Party name
B. Land
C. Election funds
D. Unique symbol
Answer : D

Question. Biju Janata Dal is a political party of----
A Punjab
B Odisha
C Bihar
D None of these
Answer : B

Question. When was the Rashtriya Janata Dal formed?
A.1998
B 1995
C 1993
D 1990
Answer : A

Question. State political parties are also known as
A. National parties
B. Regional parties
C. Alliance parties
D. None of these
Answer : B

Fill in the blanks based on types of Party system
The United States of America and the United Kingdom are examples of ____(a)_______________.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_______(b)______________.We cannot consider ______(c)___________ as a good option because this is not a democratic option
Answer : (a) Bi-party system.(b)Multi-party system (c) One party system

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Match List I (organisations and struggles) with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:

Codes:

Answer : (c) (i) C, (ii) A, (iii) D, (iv) B.

Question. Name some National Parties of India.
Answer : Some National Parties of India are :
(i) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
(ii) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Question. Complete the following table with correct information with regard to Shri KishenPatnaik:

Answer : (A) Kishenji, (B) 1962

Question. Name the regional party of Tamil Nadu along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Tamil Nadu is All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its symbol is Two Leaves.

Question. Define regional parties.
Answer : The parties which are able to succeed in one or some states are called state or regional parties.

Question. At what level non-party based elections are held in India?
Answer : Non-party based elections in India are held for panchayats, the very grassroot level.

Question. Discuss the role of opposition parties in democracy.
Answer : Opposition parties criticise the government for its faulty policies and failures in this way , it plays the role of a watchdog for keeping the ruling parties on track.

Question. Name the regional party of Odisha along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Odisha is Biju Janata Dal and its symbol is Sea Shell.

Question. Explain the term ‘defection’.
Answer : Defection refers to shifting loyalty from one party to another from where a person got elected.

Question. Suggest any one way to make political parties more responsive to the people’s need and demand.
Answer : If citizens of a nation protest peacefully and put their demands before political parties directly after being unite at mass level than obviously the parties will be more responsive to their demands.

Question. Correct the following statement and rewrite:
In a dictatorship, “any group of citizens is free to form a political party”.
Answer : In a democracy, any group of citizens is free to form a political party.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Do you think that ordinary citizens have any role in reforming political parties? Explain how?
Answer : Yes ordinary citizens play a vital role in reforming political parties. People can pressurise political parties by putting forward petitions or by protesting through agitations. Mass media can serve a significant instrument for presenting the views of ordinary citizens. However, simple criticism without any concrete step can't bring about any change.

Question. Why do we need political parties ?
Answer : We need political parties due to the following reasons :
(i) It helps in ensuring the formation of a responsive and accountable government.
(ii) It helps in ensuring that the government will run as per the set ideologies and policies for common welfare.
(iii) If political parties are not present, independent candidates will be responsible for their own constituencies, but administration of the entire country will be ignored.

Question. Explain any three functions of opposition political parties.
Answer : The Opposition's main role is to question the government of the day to day work and hold them accountable to the public welfare. In legislature, the Opposition Party has a major role and must act to discourage the party in power from acting against the interests of the country and the common man. They hustle to present themselves as a suitable alternative government.
Following are the three functions of opposition parties:
(i) hey question the ruling government and make them accountable to the public.
(ii) Their role is to ensure that the government should not take any step which is against the interest of the public.
(iii) Their duty is to check and ensure that the action of the ruling party is for the benefit of the masses and to support the government in such things. They, thus, facilitate formation of public opinion and are a way in which the schemes of government are checked and communicated to the public.

Question. What is meant by a national political party? State the conditions required to be a national political party.
Answer : National political parties are nationwide parties with their units in many states, with all the units following the same policies, programmes and strategies decided at the national level. The conditions required to be a national political party in India are as follows:
(i) To get at least 6% of total votes in the Lok Sabha elections of the country or Assembly elections in at least four States.
(ii) To win at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. What is the difference between a state party and a national party?
Answer : 

Question. Discuss the different kinds of party systems.
Answer : Different kinds of party systems are as follows:
(i) One-party system: One-party system is one in which only one party controls and runs the government. However, it is undemocratic as there is no competition. Voters don't have any option but to vote for or against the candidates who are nominated from a single party. It is prevalent in communist countries like South Korea, China and Cuba.
(ii) Two-party system: Two-party system is one in which power shifts only between two major parties. There may be some other parties, which can contest and win a few seats in the national legislatures but the chance of winning the elections remains with the two main parties getting majority seats. It is found in countries like the United States of America, Canada and United Kingdom.
(iii) Multi-party system: Multi-party system is one in which more than two parties contest for the election and have a chance of winning. In case no party wins a clear-cut majority, several parties join to form a coalition government. However, such a system is to be chaotic and a source of political instability. It is found in India and France.

Question. When was the BSP formed and under the leadership of whom? What are its main policies?
Answer : The BSP was formed in 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. It formed government in Uttar Pradesh numerous times by getting support of various parties at different times. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2004, it won about five per cent votes and was able to secure nineteen seats in the Lok Sabha. Its main policies are as follows:
(i) It aims at representing and securing power for the Bahujan Samaj, i.e., for the dalits, adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities.
(ii) It is inspired by the ideologies and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker, Mahatma Phule, and Babasaheb Ambedkar.
(iii) It aims at the welfare of the dalits and other oppressed sections of the society.
(iv) It is mainly concentrated in Uttar Pradesh and has significant presence in neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Punjab.

Question. What do you think about the role of opposition in maintaining an efficient democratic system?
Answer : Opposition parties help in maintaining an efficient democratic system in the following ways:
(i) Opposition parties help in mobilising opposition against the ruling party.
(ii) It criticises the government for its faulty policies and failures.
(iii) In this way, it plays the role of a watchdog for keeping the working of the ruling party on the track.
(iv) It creates awareness among the people regarding issues of national importance and infuses political consciousness among them.
(v) It plays a very significant role in a democracy as the representatives of those people who approach them for safeguarding their interests.

Question. Why do not parties give enough tickets to women? Is that also due to lack of internal democracy?
Answer : Patriarchal system prevails in Indian society and man folks want to establish their authority everywhere and politics is not an exception. Giving tickets to women candidates will mean that the power will come in the hands of women which is not desirable. Yes, it is an example of lack of internal democracy as equal opportunities are denied within a party. At least one-third of the seats should be given to woman candidates.

Question. Most cartoons caricature politicians. From the cartoons below, can you identify which of the challenges described in this section are being highlighted in these cartoons. They related to Italy, US and India.

Answer : It reflects the challenge of use of money and muscle power in elections, which is often faced by countries during election periods.

Question. It is often said that political parties are facing a crisis because they are very unpopular and the citizens are indifferent to political parties.
Answer : The available evidence shows that this belief is only partly true for India. The evidence, based on a series of large sample surveys conducted over several decades, shows that :

(i) 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 who have 'some' or 'great' trust.
(ii) The same is true for most other democracies as well. Political parties are one of the least trusted institutions all over the world.
(iii) Yet the level of participation in the activities of political parties was fairly high. The proportion of those who said they were members of some political party was higher in India than many advanced countries like Canada, Japan, Spain and South Korea.
(iv) Over the last three decades, the proportion of those who report to be members of political parties in India has gone up steadily.
(v) The proportion of those who say they feel 'close to a political party' has also gone up in India in this period.

Question. Do the voters really don’t get a meaningful choice ?
Answer : The statement means that the voters are not able to get options as there is little ideological differences between the parties and all the parties are mainly concerned with their own selfish motives. For giving meaningful choices to citizens, political parties should significantly differ from each other. Many times, those who want to come up with different policies are suppressed through the dirty game of politics, or lack resources to bring about any significant change. Moreover, many times people are not able to select a different set of leaders as they keep upon shifting form one party to another.

Question. Discuss the main policies of the INC.
OR
When was Indian National congress Party formed? Discuss its major policies.
Answer : INC or Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. It emerged as the largest party in India in 2004, with 145 members in the Lok Sabha elections. Presently, it is the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha. Its major policies are as follows:
(i) Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, INC wanted India to become a modern, secular and democratic republic party.
(ii) It maintains its presence throughout the country by cutting across social divisions, in spite of its rises and falls.
(iii) It is a centrist party in its ideological orientation,i.e.,neither rightist nor leftist.
(iv) It aims at promoting secularism and upliftment of the weaker sections and minorities.
(v) It supports new economic reforms, and has a humanitarian approach.

Question. Suggest and explain any five measures to reform political parties.
OR
Elucidate some of the recent efforts taken in India to reform political parties and its leaders.
Answer : Some of the recent efforts taken in our country to reform political parties and its leaders 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 for elections to provide an affidavit about his/her property details and criminal cases pending against him/her.
(iii) Political parties should give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third to women candidates for the proper representation.
(iv) The Election Commission passed an order which makes it mandatory for political parties to hold their organisational elections. The Election Commission also made it mandatory for all political parties to file their income tax returns.
(v) State should provide funds and resources for supporting the election expenses. This will help in reducing the influence of muscle and money power in elections.

Question. State the various functions that Political parties perform in a democracy.
Answer : 1.1.Parties contest elections
2 Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the
voters choose from them.
3 Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
4 Parties form and run governments
5 Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition
6 Parties shape public opinion.
7 Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments

Question. What are the various challenges faced by political parties?
Answer : 1. Lack of internal democracy within parties
2. Dynastic succession.
3. Growing role of money and muscle power in parties,
4.Lack of meaningful choice to the voters

Question. Lack of internal democracy within parties is a major challenge to political parties all over the world. How far do you agree with it?
Answer : The power is concentrated in one or few leaders at the top parties do not keep membership registers parties do not hold organizational meetings they do not conduct internal elections regularly ordinary members do not get sufficient information on what happens inside the party.

Question. Elucidate some of the recent efforts taken in our country to reform political parties and its leaders.
Answer : Constitution was amended to stop defection.Supreme Court passed an order to submit an affidavit giving details of candidates property details and criminal cases pending against him.The Election Commission made it mandatory for political parties to hold organisational elections and file their income tax returns. One third seats are reserved for women in local self- government

Question. Name the national party which was formed under the leader ship of KanshiRam . Mention any four features of that party.
Answer : 1.Kanshi Ram formed Bahujan Samaj (BSP) party in 1984 for the welfare of bahujan samaj which included dalits, adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities,
2. It was inspired from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and others.
3.It has main base in UP, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Punjab.
4. Stands for the cause of securing the interests and welfare of the dalits and oppressed people
5.It has formed government in UP several times with the help of other parties,

Question. What is a political party? Suggest and explain any four measures to reform political parties.
Answer : A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. 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 it.
• 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 above mentioned suggestions are taken into consideration, it can be ensured that these could lead to some improvement in the working of the political parties.

Question. ‘Modern democracies cannot exist without political parties.’ Examine the statement.
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. No mechanism to support the government, make policies and justify or oppose them

Question. What is one-party system? What are its merits and demerits?
Answer : In some countries only one-party is allowed to control and run the government. These are called one-party system. For example, in China only the Communist Party is allowed to rule.
Merits:
1. It helps in the establishment of stable governments.
2. It helps in the fast development of the country as there are no conflicts among the classes.
3. The administration becomes efficient as the powers are concentrated in the hands of party leaders.
4. There is unity and discipline in the country.
5. Time is not wasted in unnecessary criticism and propaganda.
Demerits:
1. There is no freedom of expression. No one can speak against the party.
2. Democracy is eroded and one-party dictatorship is established.
3. There is no respect for the views of different classes and interests.
4. The administration becomes irresponsible due to lack of criticism and opposition. Political and social freedoms are crushed. This hinders the development of the personality

Question. “Increase in the number of states or regional parties strengthened democracy in India.” Comment
Answer : India is federal country and the powers of the Government are divided into different levels. Decentralization of power means expansion of democracy. If the number of state or regional parties is increasing it means the people of our country are becoming more aware and they are not happy with the working of existing political parties. In these days regional parties have a say in political polici es as they win elections in their states. The national political parties have to take help of the regional parties to win the elections or to form the government. The rise of coalition governments broadened the concept of popular participation. It also strengthens the federal system of the democracy.

Question. “The growing role of money and muscle power is a major challenge in India.” Explain.
Answer : 
1.Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use short-cuts to win elections.
2.They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money.
3. 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.
5. Democrats all over the world are worried about the increasing role of rich people and big companies in democratic politics

Source/Case Based Questions 

Question. Read the sources given below and answer the questions that follows: 

Source A-All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) 

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) was launched on 1 January 1998 under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. Recognised as a national party in 2016. The party's symbol is flowers and grass. Committed to secularism and federalism. Has been in power in West Bengal since 2011. Also has a presence in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura. In the General Elections held in 2014, it got 3.84% votes and won 34 seats, making it the fourth largest party in the Lok Sabha. 

Source B- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was formed in 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. Seeks to represent and secure power for the bahujansamaj which includes the dalits, adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities. Draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Stands for the cause of securing the interests and welfare of the dalits and oppressed people. 

Source C- Communist Party of India (CPI) 

Communist Party of India (CPI) was formed in 1925. Believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy. Opposed to the forces of secessionism and communalism. Accepts parliamentary democracy as a means of promoting the interests of the working class, farmers and the poor. Became weak after the split in the party in 1964 that led to the formation of the CPI(M). 

(i) When was All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) recognised as a national party?
Answer : All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) recognised as a national party in 2016. 

(ii) From where Kanshi Ram draw inspiration while forming the political party?
Answer : Kanshi Ram draw inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar.  

(iii) What is the best example of parliamentary democracy according to the Communist Party of India (CPI)?
Answer : Communist Party of India (CPI) accepts parliamentary democracy as a means of promoting the interests of the working class, farmers and the poor.

More Questions and Answers for NCERT Class 10 Social Science Political Parties.....

Question. Examine any two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders.
Answer : (i) The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLA’s and MP’s from changing parties. This was done because many elected representatives were indulging in defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards. Now, if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she loses the seat in the legislature or the parliament.
(ii) The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals. Now, it is mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file an affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him. The new system has made a lot of information available to the public. But there is no system to check if the information given by the candidates is true and complete.
(iii) The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organizational elections and file their income tax returns.
(iv) The parties have started doing so but sometimes it is mere formality. It is not clear if this step has led to greater internal democracy in political parties. 

Question. Name any one political party that has national level political organisation but not recognised as the national political party. 
Answer : Samajwadi party, Samta Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal 

Question. “Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the political parties.” Analyse the statement.
Answer : Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the political parties because :
(i) Most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning.
(ii) There is no way for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
(iii) In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family.
(vi) This practice is unfair to other members of that party and is also bad for democracy.
(v) People who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to occupy position of power. 

Question. Why did India adopt multi-party system?
Answer : India is a large country with great social and geographical diversities. These diversities can only be nurtured by a multi-party system. 

Question. What is meant by a ‘national political party’? State the conditions required to be a national political party.
Answer : National political parties have units in the various states, they follow the same policies, programmes and strategy that is decided at the national level. Conditions required :
(i) A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in general elections of Lok Sabha or assembly elections in four states.
(ii) Wins at least 4 seats in Lok Sabha.

Question. Which one of the following countries has one party system?
(a) China
(b) Indo-China
(c) Japan
(d) Germany
Answer : (a) China 

Question. What is a political party? State any two points of the the ideology of Bhartiya Janta Party.
Answer : 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 programmers for the society with a view to promote the collective good.
The ideologies of Bharatiya Janta party are
(a) Cultural Nationalism
(b) Resloving India’s ancient culture and value.

Question. “No party system is ideal for all countries and all situations.” Justify the statement with arguments.
Answer : No party system is ideal for all countries and all situations :
(i) Party system is not something, any country can choose.
(ii) It evolves over a long period depending on the nature of the society.
(iii) Its social and regional division, its history of policies and its system of elections.
(iv) Each country develops a party system that is conditioned by its special circumstances. 

Question. Name the six ‘National Political Parties’ in India in a chronological order.
Answer : Now, India has seven recognized national parties - Congress, BJP, BSP, CPI, CPI-M, NCP and All India Trinamool Congress. Recognition as a national or a state party ensures that the election symbol of that party is not used by any other political entity in polls across India. 

Question. Why do we need political parties? Explain.
Answer : We need political parties because of the functions that the political parties perform :
(i) They contest in Elections.
(ii) They put forward different policies and program for the betterment of society.
(iii) They play a decisive role in the making of Laws that affect each of us.
(iv) They form and run the government.
(v) They play the role of Opposition to the Ruling Party.
(vi) They shape public opinion, as they raise and highlight issues.
(vii) They provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by the government. 

Question. If all the decisions of a political party are made by single family and all other members are neglected, then what challenge is being faced by that party?
Answer :  Challenge of dynastic succession 

Question. Highlight any five functions of political parties to strengthen democracy.
Answer : The function of a political party that strengthens the democracy are as follows :
(i) Contesting Elections: Political parties contest elections. A political party nominates its candidate for the electoral contest in various constituencies. This provides a variety of choice of personalities for the people to vote for.
(ii) Policies: Political parties put forward different policies and program so that the voters can choose from amongst them. A political party bring a large number of similar opinions under on umbrella. These opinions are channelized to form policies and program. The policies and program of the ruling party generally become the government policies.
(iii) Making Law: Political parties play a decisive role in making laws for the country that benefits the whole population.
(iv) Playing Opposition: A party which does not get majority or come under the majority coalition, needs to play the role of opposition. This forms the basis of checks and balances in a democracy.
(v) Shaping Public Opinion: Political parties shape public opinion. They do so by raising and highlighting issues in the legislature and in the media.
(vi) Providing Access to Government Machinery:Political parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments. Parties need to be responsive to people’s needs and demands thus bring good governance. 

Question. In which one of the following states does ‘Shiv Sena’ exist as a regional political party?
(a) Gujarat
(b) Karnataka
(c) Maharashtra
(d) Madhya Pradesh
Answer : (c ) Maharashtra 

Question. Name the ‘regional political parties’ that are predominant in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha respectively with their symbols.
Answer : Jharkhand–JMM–Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Bow and Arrow) Maharasthra–INC–Indian National Congress Odisha–BJD–Biju Janata Dal. (Conch) 

Question. Why do we need political parties? Highlight any five reasons. 
Answer : We need political parties for the following reasons:
(i) If there were no political party, then each and every candidate would be independent. So many individuals would only have interests for their own constituencies.
(ii) They would not think about the collective national interest.
(iii) Thus, a political party is necessary to bring diverse people on a common platform, so that bigger issues can be taken care of.
(iv) The democracy which is being practiced all over the world is called representative democracy. In this system, governance is done through people’s representative because it is impossible for each citizen to directly participate in governance.
(v) The need for representative democracy has given rise to political parties. 

Question. Which one of the following political parties seeks to represent and secure power for Dalits, OBC’s and Adivasis?
(a) Bahujan Samaj Party
(b) Bharatiya Janta Party
(c) Forward Bloc
(d) Janta Dal (s)
Answer : (a) Bahujan Samaj Party 

Question. Describe any three main features of Two-Party system.
Answer : Main features of two-party system :
(i) Power usually changes between two parties, though several other parties may exist.
(ii) In such system, people get clear choice.
(iii) The party that wins majority forms the government and the other sits in opposition.
(iv) Strong opposition is good for democracy.
(v) Prompt decisions are taken and implemented.
(vi) Promotes more development and less corruption. 

Question. “Modern democracies cannot exist without political parties.” Examine the statement.
Answer : In all the democracies, citizens have rights but they should be able to claim these rights.
1. When the elected political parties become the ruling party then they give these rights to the citizens legally and practically.
2. In all the democracies, people need good governance, for this we need political parties which contest in elections.
3. The society needs rapid development, this work is done by the political parties. They can introduce many new policies and program for the welfare of the citizens.
4. The Opposition political party also plays a vital role by finding mistakes in the work of the ruling party so that the development stays on course.
5. If there were no political parties in such cases we would only have independent candidates contesting election with individual agenda and not a national agenda.
6. The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of representative democracies. Large societies need a way to bring various representatives together so that a responsible government could be formed. We can say that parties are a necessary condition for a democracy. 

Question. Which one of the following regional parties is associated with West Bengal?
(a) Lok Jan Shakti Party
(b) Janata Dal
(c) Forward Bloc
(d) Democratic Front
Answer : C

Question. Name the three components of a political party.
Answer : (i) Leaders
(ii) Active members
(iii) Followers 

Question. The opposition party is ......... .
(a) the party that loses the election and does not form the government
(b) the party that wins the election and forms the government.
(c) the party that opposes the ruling party
(d) the party that does not contest election
Answer : C

Question. Differentiate between a national party and a state party.
Answer : Differences between a national party and a regional/state party.

Question. What has the supreme court done to reduce the influence of money and criminals in politics?
Answer : The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him/her. 

Question. How can people put pressure on political parties?
Answer : They can do this through petitions, publicity and agitations. 

Question. Write a short note on one-party system.
Answer : In some countries only one party is allowed to control and run the government. These are called one party system. For example, China has a single party—Communist Party. One-party system is not a good option because it is not a democratic option. In the countries having one party system, the liberty of the individual is lost because people are deprived of the right of electing representatives. There is one candidate in whose favour all the citizens have to vote. It cannot be called as elections in real sense. 

Question. Who are personalities from whom BSP draws inspiration?
Answer : BSP draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. 

Question. How are political parties viewed in a democracy?
Answer : Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy. 

Question. The institution that banned wall writing by parties during elections is ......... .
(a) The Election Commission
(b) The Judiciary
(c) The Parliament
(d) The Press
Answer : A 

Question. Explain some reforms to strengthen the working of political parties.
                           Or
How can political parties be reformed? Explain.
Answer : Some reforms to strengthen the working of political parties—
(i) The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties. Now, the law syas that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the legislature. This new law has helped bring defection down. At the same time this has made any dissent even more difficult.
(ii) The Supreme Court of India has made it mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file an affidavit giving details of his property and criminal case pending against him. The new system has made a lot of information available to the public.
(iii) The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organisational election and file their income tax returns.

Points to remember for Democratic Politics Chapter 06 Political Parties

Why do
We Need Political Parties?
Political parties are one of the most visible institutions in a democracy. For the ordinary citizens, democracy is equal to political parties. It is important to know the nature and working of political parties.

Meaning of Political Parties
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in thegovernment. 
All political parties have some policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote the collective good. They try to persuade people why their policies are better than others. They seek to implement their policies by winning popular support through elections.
Political parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society. All the parties favour certain part of the society and thus they involve partisanship.
A party is known by which part it stands for, which policies it supports and whose interests it upholds.

A political party has following three components
(i) The leaders (ii) The active members (iii) The followers

Functions of Political Parties
Political parties performs the following functions
(i) Candidates are put forward by political parties to contest elections. These candidates may be chosen by the top leaders or by members of the party. In some countries like USA, members and supporters of a party choose its candidate. In India top party leaders choose candidates for contesting elections.
(ii) Parties put forward their policies and programmes for voters to choose from them.
(iii) Political parties play a major role in making laws for the country. No law can become a bill unless majority parties support it. Laws are debated and passed in the Legislature.
(iv) Political parties form and run governments. The big policy decision taken by political executive come from the political parties. Parties recruit leaders, train them and make them ministers.
(v) Parties that lose election, play the role of opposition to the party in power. They criticise government for their wrong policies and mobilise opposition to the government.
(vi) Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues. Parties have large number of members and activists spread all over the country. Many of the pressure groups act as extension of political parties.
Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of the problem faced by the people.
(vii) Political parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes. It is easy for the public to approach their local party leader than a government officer. The local party leader has to listen to people’s need and demands, otherwise people can reject them in the next elections.

Necessity of Political Parties
Political parties are needed because they perform variety of functions. Modern democracies cannot exist without political parties.
Without existence of parties, following situations may occur
Every candidate in the elections will be independent. 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 will be run.
• The non-party based elections to the Panchayat occur in many states of India. Here the parties do not contest formally. It is generally noticed that the village gets split into more than one group, each of which puts up a ‘panel’ of its candidates. This creates need for the political party.
• The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of representative democracies. As societies became large and complex, they needed some agency to gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government.
• Society needs a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies, justify or oppose them. Political parties fulfil these needs of every representative government.

How Many Parties Should We have?
The different countries around the world opt different party systems. Broadly, political party system can be divided into following three categories
(i) One-Party System In this party system, only one party is allowed to control and run the government. For example, China has one-party system. This system is not a good option for democracy because it does not provide a fair chance for competing parties to gain power.
(ii) Two-Party System In this party system, two parties have a serious chance to win majority and form government. The power usually changes between two main parties. The United States of America and United Kingdom are the examples of two-party system.
(iii) Multi-Party System In this party system, more than two political parties contest election to gain power. In India, there is a multi-party system with more than 750 parties registered by the Election Commission of India.
It allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.

Coalition of Parties
In India, 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 and winning, it is called alliance or front.
For example, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in India.

Ideal Party System
Party system evolves over a long time, depending on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, and history of politics. The social and geographical diversity of our country is not easily absorbed by two or even three parties.
Thus, India has a multiparty system.

Popular Participation in Political Parties
Political parties are facing crisis of unpopularity and indifference among the citizens.
The evidence, based on a series of large sample surveys conducted over several decades, shows that
• Political parties do not enjoy much trust among the people in South Asia.
• Still the level of participation in the activities of political parties is fairly high.
• The proportion of the members of some political party is higher in India than many advanced countries like Canada, Japan, Spain and South Korea.
• Over the last three decades, the proportion of members close to a political party in India has gone up steadily.

Types of Political Parties
Democracies that follow a federal system all over the world tend to have two kinds of political parties
(i) State Parties Parties that are present in only one of the federal units.
(ii) National Parties Parties that are present in several or all units of the federation.
In India, there are both National and State parties. Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission.

National Parties
A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in 4 states and wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha, is recognised as a National Party. The commission treats all parties equally, but it offers some special facilities to large and established parties. These parties are given a unique symbol. Only the official candidates of that party can use that election symbol.
These parties are called recognised political parties due to special privileges and facilities provided to them by the Election Commission.

Some National Political Parties of India
In 2018, there were seven recognised national political parties in the country. These are

(i) Indian National Congress (INC) It is popularly known as the Congress Party which is one of the oldest parties of the world founded in 1885. It supports secularism2 and welfare of weaker sections and minorities.

(ii) Communist Party of India (CPI) It was founded in 1925. It believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularismand democracy. It opposes the forces of secessionism and communalism. It has significant presence in Kerala,West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

(iii) Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) It was founded in 1964. It believes in Marxism-Leninism. It supports socialism, secularism and democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism. It enjoys strong support in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala.

(iv) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) It was founded in 1980, by reviving the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh. The aimof the party is to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values. It came to the power in 1998 as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance including several state and regional parties.

(v) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) It was founded 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 has its main base in Uttar Pradesh and substantial presence in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Delhi and Punjab.

(vi) All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) It was formed on 1st January, 1998 under the leadership of Mamta Banerjee. This party is recognised as a National Party in 2016. The party symbol is flowers and grass. It has its presence in West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.

(vii) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) It was founded in 1999, following a split in the Congress Party. It supports democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice and federalism. It has its significant presence in Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam.

Note : Currently (November, 2021) there are eight recognised national parties. The National People’s Party (NPP) was accorded the status of nation party on 7th June, 2019. The party symbol is Book.

State Parties
A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least 2 seats, is recognised as a State party. These are commonly referred to as regional parties. Some of the regional parties are all India parties have succeeded only in some states. Parties like the Samajwadi Party, Samata Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal have national level political organisation 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 identity.

Status of State Parties
Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded. This made the Parliament of India politically more and more diverse. No national party is able to secure on its own a majority in Lok Sabha.
As a result, the national parties are compelled to form alliances with state parties. Since 1996, nearly every state party has got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level Coalition Government. This has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country.

Challenges to Political Parties
Popular dissatisfaction and criticism has focussed on four problem areas in the working of political parties. Political parties need to face and overcome these challenges which are

Lack of Internal Democracy within Parties
In most of the political parties, the power is concentrated in the hands of one or few leaders at the top. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings and do not conduct internal elections regularly. Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information about the happenings inside the party.
The leaders assume greater power to make decisions in the name of the party.

Dynastic Succession
The top positions in many political parties are generally controlled by members of one family. Leaders on the top have unfair chance of favouring their families and friends. This is also bad for democracy, since people who do not have adequate experience or popular support, come to occupy positions of power. This tendency is present in all over the
world, including some older democracies.

Money and Muscle Power
This is a prominent challenge to political parties during elections. Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use shortcuts to win elections. Such shortcuts include the following
• They 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.
• In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.

Meaningful Choice to the Voters
It states that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters. In order to offer meaningful choice, parties must be significantly different.
Like for instance, sometimes people cannot even elect very different leaders as the same set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another.

Reformation of Political Parties
In order to face the challenges, political parties need to be reformed. Some of the recent efforts and suggestions in our country to reform the political parties are
• Anti-Defection Law According to this law, MLAs or MPs cannot change the party after the election.
If any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the Legislature. This was done because many elected representatives were involved in defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards.
• Details of Property and Criminal Cases In order to reduce the influence of money and criminals, the Supreme Court of our country passed an order. Now, it becomes mandatory for every candidate who contest elections to file an Affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him. But there is no system to check if the information given by the candidate is true or not.
• File an Income Tax Return The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns. The parties have started doing so, but sometimes, it is only formality.

Besides these suggestions, many other suggestions are often made to reform political parties which are
• 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 its members, to follow its own Constitution, to have an independent authority, to act as a judge in case of party disputes and to hold open elections to the highest posts.
• It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets (about one-third) to women candidates. Similarly, there should be a quota for women in the decision-making bodies of the party.
• There should be state funding of elections. The government should give parties money to support their election expenses.
• We must be very careful about legal solutions to political problems. Over-regulation of political parties can be counter-productive.
There are two other ways in which political parties can be reformed

(i) People can put pressure on political parties throughpetitions, publicity and agitations. If political party feels that it would lose public support, it would become more serious about reforms.

(ii) Political parties can improve if those who want this, join political parties. The quality of democracy can be improve by the public participation. If ordinary citizens do not take part in politics then reforming politics is impossible.

Questions -

1. Which of the following is not the function of a political party?

  a. Shaping public opinion

  b. Making laws

  c. Forming government

  d. Threatening voters to grab votes

2. To which state does DMK belong to?

  a. Andra Pradesh

  b. Tamil Nadu

  c. Kerala

  d. Karnataka

3. Rashtriya Lok Dal is a..

  a. State Party

  b. National Party

  c. Left Front Party

  d. Regional Party of Punjab

4. Which of the following party systems leads to political instability..

  a. Multi Party system

  b. One Party system

  c. Two Party system

5. Define a political party.

6. What role is played by political parties? OR Why do we need political parties?

7. Name the three components of a political party.

8. Explain the functions performed by political parties.

9. Define one-party, two –party and multi – party systems. Give their examples also.

10. Why does India have multi – party system?

11. What are National Political Parties? Give examples.

12. What criterion has been laid down by election commission for a national party?

13. Describe the history of Indian National Congress.

14. Write the names of six national recognized parties in 2006.

15. What are regional parties? Give their examples.

16. What kinds of challenges are faced by political parties?

17. What is the meaning of defection?

18. How can political parties be reformed?

19. What steps have been taken by Election Commission to reform political parties?

20. What step has been taken by Supreme Court to reduce the influence of money and criminals during elections?

21. What role can be played by people to reform political parties?

22. Can we choose the party system that a country should have? Why / Why not?

23. Explain the role of opposition parties in a democracy.

Students must free download and practice these worksheets to gain more marks in exams. CBSE Class 10 Political Science Worksheet - Political Parties