1. Chapter at a Glance
Political parties are the most visible institutions in a democracy. For most ordinary citizens, democracy is equal to political parties. Yet parties are also among the least trusted institutions. This chapter asks: why do we need parties, what do they do, how many parties are good for democracy, what are the national and State parties of India, what challenges do parties face, and how can they be reformed?
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 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. Parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society — a party is a part of society and thus involves partisanship. A party has three components: the leaders, the active members and the followers.
2. Functions of Political Parties
- Contest elections: in most democracies, elections are fought mainly among candidates put up by parties. In some countries, like the USA, members and supporters choose candidates; in India, top party leaders choose candidates.
- Put forward policies and programmes for voters to choose from. Parties reduce a vast multitude of opinions to a few basic positions; a government is expected to base its policies on the line taken by the ruling party.
- Make laws: formally laws are debated and passed in the legislature, but since most members belong to a party, they go by the direction of the party leadership.
- Form and run governments: parties recruit leaders, train them and make them ministers to run the government the way they want; big policy decisions are taken by the political executive that comes from parties.
- Play the role of opposition: parties that lose elections voice different views, criticise the government for its failures or wrong policies, and mobilise opposition.
- Shape public opinion: they raise and highlight issues; parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country; many pressure groups are extensions of parties among different sections of society; parties sometimes launch movements for the resolution of people's problems.
- Provide access to government machinery and welfare schemes: for an ordinary citizen it is easier to approach a local party leader than a government officer; leaders have to listen to local demands, otherwise they can be rejected in the next election.
3. Necessity of Political Parties
Imagine a situation without parties. Every candidate would be independent; no one could make promises to the people about major policy changes. The government may be formed, but its utility will remain uncertain. Elected representatives would be accountable to their constituency for what they do in the locality, but no one would be responsible for how the country is run. Non-party-based elections to panchayats in many States show this: villages split into factions, each putting up a "panel". The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of representative democracies: large societies need representative democracy, and as societies became large and complex they needed some agency to gather different views on various issues and present these to the government. They needed ways to bring various representatives together so that a responsible government could be formed, a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies, justify or oppose them. Parties fulfil these needs. We can say that parties are a necessary condition for a democracy.
4. Party Systems: How Many Parties?
| System | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One-party system | Only one party is allowed to control and run the government | China — only the Communist Party is allowed to rule; though law does not forbid forming new parties, the electoral system does not permit free competition for power. This is not a good democratic option — any democratic system must allow at least two parties to compete and give competing parties a fair chance to come to power. |
| Two-party system | Power usually changes between two main parties; several other parties may exist and win a few seats, but only the two main parties have a serious chance of winning a majority | USA, UK |
| Multi-party system | 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 | India |
When several parties in a multi-party system join hands to contest elections and win power, it is called an alliance or front — for example, in India the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA bloc (earlier the United Progressive Alliance) in national elections, and the Left Front in some States. The multi-party system often appears very messy and leads to political instability, but it allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation. No system is ideal for all countries; a party system is not something a country can choose — it evolves over a long time, depending on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, its history of politics and its system of elections.
Surveys show that in India the proportion of people who say they are close to a political party, and who are members of a party, has gone up over the years; the proportion of those who are members of parties is higher in India than in advanced countries like Canada, Japan, Spain and South Korea. At the same time, trust in political parties is generally lower than in other institutions such as the courts, the Election Commission and the army.
5. National and State Parties
Democracies that follow a federal system all over the world tend to have two kinds of parties: those present in only one of the federal units and those present in several or all units. In India, every party has to register with the Election Commission. While the Commission treats all parties equally, it offers some special facilities to large and established parties — a unique symbol, which only the official candidates of that party can use. Parties that get this privilege are "recognised" by the Election Commission. (For the detailed criteria for recognition, see the Class 9 chapter on Elections.) Broadly: a party securing at least 6% of the total votes in an Assembly election and winning at least two seats is recognised as a State party; a party securing at least 6% of total votes in Lok Sabha or Assembly elections in four States and winning at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a national party.
| National party (as recognised in 2024) | Founded | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) | 1980 | Founded by reviving the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (formed by Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951); draws inspiration from India's ancient culture and values, and Deendayal Upadhyaya's ideas of integral humanism and Antyodaya; leads the NDA government at the Centre since 2014 |
| Indian National Congress (INC) | 1885 | One of the oldest parties of the world; played a dominant role in Indian politics for several decades after independence; a centrist party in its ideological orientation; leads the opposition INDIA bloc |
| Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) | 1984 | Formed under the leadership of Kanshi Ram; seeks to represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj — Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities; draws inspiration from Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar; main base in Uttar Pradesh |
| Communist Party of India–Marxist (CPI-M) | 1964 | Believes in Marxism–Leninism; supports socialism, secularism and democracy; opposes imperialism and communalism; strong support in Kerala and earlier West Bengal and Tripura |
| Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) | 2012 | Emerged from the anti-corruption movement; governs Punjab; recognised as a national party in 2023 |
| National People's Party (NPP) | 2013 | Founded by P.A. Sangma; first party from the north-east to get national party status (2019); strong in Meghalaya |
In April 2023 the Election Commission withdrew national-party status from the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), and recognised AAP — so there were six national parties in 2024. (Recognition can change after every general election, so always check the Election Commission of India's latest list.) Other parties are classified as State parties (often called regional parties), such as the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Biju Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Shiv Sena, Telugu Desam Party and Trinamool Congress. Over the last three decades the number and strength of State parties has expanded; this made Parliament more diverse politically, and no national party is able to secure power at the Centre on its own without some State partners — strengthening federalism and democracy.
6. Challenges to Political Parties
| Challenge | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Lack of internal democracy | Concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top; parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings or internal elections regularly; ordinary members do not get sufficient information about what happens inside; leaders assume greater power; those who disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue |
| Dynastic succession | Since most parties do not have open and transparent procedures, there are few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top; those who happen to be leaders favour people close to them or their family members; in many parties top positions are controlled by members of one family — unfair to other members and bad for democracy |
| Growing role of money and muscle power | Since parties focus only on winning elections, they tend to nominate candidates who have or can raise lots of money; rich people and companies who give funds tend to influence policies; in some cases parties support criminals who can win elections |
| Lack of meaningful choice | In recent years there has been a decline in ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world — e.g., in Britain, the Labour and Conservative parties differ very little; in India too, differences among major parties on economic issues have reduced; those who want really different policies have no option, and sometimes people cannot even elect very different leaders because the same set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another |
7. How Can Parties Be Reformed?
Steps already taken
- Anti-defection law (52nd Amendment, 1985): if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the legislature. This reduced defection, but made any dissent more difficult — MPs and MLAs have to accept whatever party leaders decide.
- The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals: every candidate must file an affidavit giving details of property and criminal cases pending against them. This information is now available to the public, but there is no system to check whether it is true; it is not yet clear if it has reduced the influence of money and criminals.
- The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns. Parties have started doing so, but sometimes it is a mere formality.
Suggestions often made
- A law to regulate the internal affairs of parties — maintaining a register of members, following their own constitution, having an independent authority to act as a judge in party disputes, holding open elections to the highest posts.
- Making it mandatory for parties to give a minimum number of tickets — about one-third — to women candidates, and a quota for women in decision-making bodies of the party.
- State funding of elections: the government should give parties money to support election expenses — in kind (petrol, paper, telephone) or in cash on the basis of votes secured in the last election.
Two other ways can reform parties: pressure from people — through petitions, publicity and agitations, and through pressure groups, movements and the media; and people joining parties — the quality of democracy depends on public participation, and it is difficult to reform politics if ordinary citizens do not take part in it and simply criticise from outside. Legal reforms must be careful: over-regulation can be counter-productive, as parties may find ways to get around laws; the best laws are those that empower people to participate.
8. Master Table: Key Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Political party | Group seeking to contest elections and hold power |
| Partisanship | Taking a side; inability to see a balanced view |
| Party system | Number and pattern of parties competing |
| Alliance / front | Parties joining hands to contest and share power |
| Recognised party | Party given a reserved symbol by the Election Commission |
| Defection | Changing party after being elected |
| Affidavit | Signed sworn statement of facts |
| Internal democracy | Party members' say in party decisions and posts |
| Dynastic succession | Leadership passing within a family |
| State funding | Government paying parties' election costs |
9. Master Summary Table
| Challenge | Reform taken / suggested |
|---|---|
| Defection | Anti-defection law (1985) |
| Money and crime | Affidavits on assets and criminal cases; state funding (suggested) |
| Lack of internal democracy | EC order on organisational elections; law to regulate internal affairs (suggested) |
| Under-representation of women | One-third tickets to women (suggested) |
| Lack of choice | People's pressure and participation |
Chart — national parties recognised in India (2024):
10. Mind Map
- Leaders, members
- Followers
- Contest, policies
- Govern, oppose
- One, two, multi
- Alliances
- National, State
- EC recognition
- Dynasty, money
- Reforms
11. Tips and Tricks
- Party components "L-A-F": Leaders, Active members, Followers.
- Four challenges "I-D-M-C": Internal democracy, Dynasty, Money–muscle, Choice.
- Three reforms done "A-A-O": Anti-defection, Affidavits, Organisational elections.
- China is a one-party system — not a democratic option.
- The anti-defection law reduced defections but also restricted dissent.
- National party status can change after elections — check the latest EC list.
12. Important One-liners
- A party has leaders, active members and followers.
- Parties are a necessary condition for democracy.
- The USA and UK have two-party systems.
- India has a multi-party system.
- Every party must register with the Election Commission.
- The INC was founded in 1885.
- The BJP was founded in 1980.
- The BSP was formed under Kanshi Ram in 1984.
- The NPP was the first north-eastern national party.
- The anti-defection law came in 1985.
- Candidates must file affidavits on property and criminal cases.
13. Previous-Year-Pattern Questions with Detailed Answers
Which country has a one-party system?
- India
- USA
- China
- UK
Show answer
In China only the Communist Party is allowed to rule. India is multi-party; the USA and UK are two-party systems.
Answer: (C)
Who founded the Bahujan Samaj Party?
- B.R. Ambedkar
- Kanshi Ram
- Syama Prasad Mookerjee
- P.A. Sangma
Show answer
Kanshi Ram led its formation in 1984. Ambedkar inspired it; Mookerjee founded the Jana Sangh; Sangma founded the NPP.
Answer: (B)
What is a political party?
Show answer
A group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in government, agreeing on policies and programmes for the collective good.
Answer: Group seeking power through elections on a common programme
Why are political parties necessary in a democracy?
Show answer
Without parties every candidate would be independent, no one could promise major policy changes, and no one would be responsible for running the country. Large representative democracies need agencies to gather views, present them to government, form responsible governments, support or restrain them, and make and justify policies — parties do this.
Answer: They make representative government workable and responsible
Distinguish between a two-party and a multi-party system.
Show answer
Two-party: power usually alternates between two main parties; others exist but rarely win a majority (USA, UK). Multi-party: several parties compete and more than two have a reasonable chance of power alone or in alliances (India); it can appear messy and unstable but represents many interests.
Answer: Two main contenders vs many with real chances
How does the Election Commission recognise parties, and what benefit do they get?
Show answer
Every party registers with the Commission; those that meet criteria (e.g., 6% votes and seats in a State for a State party; 6% votes in four States plus four Lok Sabha seats for a national party) are recognised and get a reserved symbol that only their official candidates can use.
Answer: Vote and seat criteria; reserved symbol
State the functions of the opposition party.
Show answer
It voices different views, criticises the government's failures and wrong policies, mobilises public opinion against them, keeps the government accountable, and offers an alternative for the next election.
Answer: Criticise, hold accountable, provide alternative
Explain the major challenges faced by political parties in India.
Show answer
(1) Lack of internal democracy — power concentrated with a few, no regular elections or membership registers. (2) Dynastic succession — family control of top posts. (3) Money and muscle power — preference for rich candidates and sometimes criminals; donors influence policy. (4) Lack of meaningful choice — reduced ideological differences and leaders switching parties.
Answer: Internal democracy, dynasty, money–muscle, choice
Evaluate the reforms taken to improve political parties.
Show answer
The anti-defection law reduced defections but also stifled dissent. Affidavits made information on assets and criminal cases public, but there is no system to verify them and their impact is unclear. The EC order on organisational elections and income tax returns is often treated as a formality. So reforms helped somewhat, but deeper change needs internal-democracy laws, women's tickets, state funding and active citizen pressure.
Answer: Useful but limited; more needed
How has the rise of State parties strengthened Indian democracy?
Show answer
State parties have grown in number and strength, making Parliament more diverse and representative of regional interests. Since no national party can easily win power alone, they need State partners, leading to coalition politics and greater respect for State autonomy — strengthening federalism and democracy.
Answer: Diversity, coalitions and federal balance
"Ordinary citizens can reform parties." How?
Show answer
By putting pressure through petitions, publicity, agitations, pressure groups, movements and the media; by joining parties and participating actively in their functioning; and by voting thoughtfully, rejecting candidates with criminal records or dynastic privilege. Laws alone cannot reform parties if citizens stay away from politics.
Answer: Pressure and participation
14. Quick Revision Summary
- Party: contest elections, hold power; leaders, active members, followers; partisanship.
- Functions: contest, policies, laws, government, opposition, opinion, access to schemes.
- Necessary for representative democracy; one-, two- and multi-party systems; alliances (NDA, INDIA bloc).
- Recognition by EC; six national parties in 2024 (BJP, INC, BSP, CPI-M, AAP, NPP); rise of State parties.
- Challenges: internal democracy, dynasty, money–muscle, choice; reforms: anti-defection, affidavits, EC orders; suggestions: internal-democracy law, one-third women tickets, state funding; people's pressure and participation.