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Political Parties
"Political parties are the most important component of democracy. They are one of the most visible institutions in a democracy. In this chapter, we shall study why do we need political parties, and which are the major regional and national parties of India."
1.0Introduction
Through this chapter, we are going to know the needs, functions, role and challenges to the political parties. In any democratic country, political parties do not only play a significant role in the political system of the country but also have a major role in the growth of the economy as well as the social life of the people. Let's begin finding out more about political parties through this lesson.
2.0Why do we need political parties?
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.
3.0Political parties
- 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.
- It mobilises voters to support common sets of interests, concerns and goals.
- A political party fixes the political agenda and policies and tries to persuade people by claiming their policies are better than those of other parties.
- To prove this, they put up candidates to fight elections.
- A political party is the means through which people can speak to the government and have a say in the governance of any country.
- A party is about a part of the society and thus involves partisanship. It means it is known by the part is stands for, the policies it supports and whose interests it up holds.
- A political party has three components :- the leaders, the active members and the followers.
What is shown in the given cartoon? The famous cartoonist R.K. Lakshman is seen reading news paper which shows that country is facing lot of problems but politicians are not taking care of them. Politicians are not willing to take responsibility for the peril situation of the country. They are busy in contesting elections.
4.0Functions and need for Political Parties
(a) Contest elections: Parties contest elections. In most democracies, elections are contested mainly among the candidates put up by political parties. Parties select their candidates in different ways. In some countries, such as the USA, members and supporters of a party choose its candidates. Now more and more countries are following this method. In other countries like India, top party leaders choose candidates for contesting in elections.
(b) Declaration of Policies and Programmes: There are always some socio-economic and political issues before the nation at the domestic and international levels. Political parties put forward their considered views, policies & programmes before the people and suggest ways to tackle the issues. Usually, parties have their research wings and think-tanks to guide them. A party reduces a vast multitude of opinions into a few basic positions which it supports. A government is expected to base its policies on the line taken by the ruling party.
(c) Making laws: 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.
(d) To form and run the Government: The big policy decisions are taken by political executive that comes from the political parties. Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers to run the government in the way they want.
(e) Role of opposition: Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the parties in power, by voicing different views and criticising government for its failures or wrong policies. Opposition parties also mobilise opposition to the government.
(f) Shape Public Opinion: Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues. Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among different sections of society. Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people. Often opinions in the society crystallise on the lines parties take.
(g) Access to Government machinery and welfare schemes: Parties provide the people an access to the 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. That is why they feel close to parties even when they do not fully trust them. Parties have to be responsive to people's needs and demands. Otherwise, people can reject those parties in the next elections.
5.0Need for Political Parties
Why modern democracies cannot exist without political parties. We can understand the necessity of political parties by imagining a situation without parties.
- Every candidate in an election would become independent candidates. They cannot promise any major policy change to the people. A government formed in this way will have no utility. No one will be responsible for how the country will be run, elected leaders would be responsible or accountable to their constituencies only. Although, the parties do not contest formally, it is generally noticed that the village gets split into more than one faction, each of which puts up a 'panel' of its candidates. This is exactly what the party does. That is the reason we find political parties in almost all countries of the world, whether these countries are big or small, old or new, developed or developing.
- Political parties are a must in representative democracies. In large societies only representative agency is needed to gather different views on various issues and present them to the government. They bring various representative together to form a responsible government and that is why they are a must in a democracy. They needed a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies, first by us for oppose them.
6.0Party system
In a democracy any group of citizens is free to form a political party. In this formal sense, there are a large number of political parties in each country. More than 750 parties are registered with the Election Commission of India. But not all these parties are serious contenders in the elections. Usually only a handful of parties are effectively in the race to win elections and form the government. So, the question, then is: how many major or effective parties are good for a democracy?
There are three types of party systems -
(a) One-party system : Only one party is allowed to control and run the government. These are called one-party systems. Although, legally speaking, people are free to form political parties, it does not happen because the electoral system does not permit free competition for power. We cannot consider one-party system as a good option because this is not a democratic option. Any democratic system must allow at least two parties to compete in elections and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to power. Example of one-party system - China, only the Communist Party is allowed to rule.
(b) In a Two/Bi-party system : power shifts between two major, dominant parties. Several other parties may exist, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislatures. But only the two main parties have a serious chance of winning majority of seats to form government. Such a party system is called two-party system. This party system prevails in Great Britain and USA. Supporters of this system believe that this prevents dangers of fragmentation.
(c) Multi-party system 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. Thus, in India, we have a multi-party system. In this system, the government is formed by various parties coming together in a coalition. The multiparty system often appears very messy and leads to political instability. At the same time, this system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.
7.0An alliance
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. India in 2004 had such Alliances for parliamentary elections:
- BJP National Democratic Alliance
- Congress The United Progressive Alliance and
- C P I (M) Left front.
Which of these Party systems is better?
Party system is not something any 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. These cannot be changed very quickly. Each country develops a party system that is conditioned by its special circumstances.For example, if India has evolved a multiparty system, it is because the social and geographical diversity in such a large country is not easily absorbed by two or even three parties. No system is ideal for all countries and all situations.
8.0National Political Parties
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 India has to register with the Election Commission. The commission treats every party as equal to the others, but it offers special facilities to large and established parties. They are given a unique symbol and are called, "recognised political parties."
Conditions required to be recognised as a National party
(i) Party that secures (gets) at least 6% of the total votes in general elections to Lok Sabha or Assembly Elections in four states. (ii) Wins at least 4 seats in Lok SabhaConditions required to be recognised as a State Party
(i) Party secures at least of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a State (ii) Wins at least 2 seats in the Legislative AssemblyCategories these photographs by the functions of political parties they illustrate.
(1) The photograph no. 1 indicates the political parties function of "The Pressure Group". / Playing the role of opposition. (2) The photograph no. 2 indicates the "Function of Access to government machinery and welfare schemes". (3) "The photograph no. 3 indicates the function of shaping public opinion."9.0Popular participation in political parties
It is often said that political parties are facing a crisis because they are very unpopular, and the citizens are indifferent to political parties. 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:
- 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.
- The same is true of most other democracies as well. Political parties are one of the least trusted institutions all over the world.
- 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.
- Over the last three decades the proportion of those who report to be members of political parties in India has gone up steadily.
- The proportion of those who say they feel close to a political party has also gone up in India in this period.
10.0Introduction to major political parties in India
There were seven recognised national parties in the country in 2018. Let us learn something about each of these parties.
(a) Indian National Congress (INC)
- It is one of the oldest parties of the world and India's oldest political party founded in 1885. It led the movement for independence against the British rule, and after independence became free India's premier political party. The party sought to build a modern secular democratic republic in India under Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of free India.
- Ruling party at the centre till 1977 and then from 1980 to 1989. After 1989, its support declined, but it continues to be present throughout the country, cutting across social division.
- A centrist party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation, the party espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities.
- Supports new economic reforms but with a human face. Leader of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004 to 2019. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, it won votes and 52 seats.
(b) Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)
- It was created in 1980, by reviving the erstwhile Bhartiya Jana Sangh, formed by Syama Prasad Mukherjee in 1951.
- It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India and a uniform civil code for all people living in the country irrespective of religion and ban on religious conversions.
- 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.
- Its support base increased substantially in the 1990s. Earlier limited to north and west and to urban areas, the party expanded its support in the south, east, the north-east and to rural areas. Came to power in 1998 as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance including several state and regional parties.
- Emerged as the largest party with 303 members in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Currently leads the ruling NDA government at the Centre.
(c) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP): Formed in 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. Seeks to represent and secure power for the Bahujan samaj 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.
- It has its main base in the state of Uttar Pradesh and substantial presence in neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Punjab. Formed government in Uttar Pradesh several times by taking the support of different parties at different times.
- In the Lok Sabha elections held in 2019, it polled about 3.63 per cent votes and secured 10 seats in the Lok Sabha.
(d) Communist Party of India (CPI)
- It was formed in 1925, believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy.
- It is 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.
- The split in the party in 1964 , led to the formation of CPI (M).
- Significant presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Its support base had gradually declined over the years.
- It secured less than 1 per cent votes and 2 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Advocates the coming together of all left parties to build a strong left front.
(e) Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M)
- Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M): Founded in 1964. Believes in Marxism- Leninism. Supports socialism, secularism and democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism.
- Accepts democratic elections as a useful and helpful means for securing the objective of socioeconomic justice in India. Enjoys strong support in West Bengal, Kerala, and Tripura, especially among the poor, factory workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and the intelligentsia.
- Critical of the new economic policies that allow free flow of foreign capital and goods into the country. Was in power in West Bengal without a break for 34 years.
- In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it won about 1.75 per cent of votes and 3 seats.
(f) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): Formed in 1999 following a split in the Congress party. Espouses democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice and federalism.
- Wants those 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.
- In 2019 Lok Sabha election, it won votes and 5 seats.
(g) All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
- 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 2019, it got 4.07 per cent votes and won 22 seats, making it the fourth largest party in the Lok Sabha.
11.0State Parties/Regional Parties
The parties, other than national parties, are recognised by Election Commission as state parties (also called regional parties).
- The regional parties need not be regional in their ideology or outlook.
- Some regional parties have national level organisation and presence in several states Example- Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal
- Some parties focus on their state identity like- Biju Janta Dal, Sikkim Democratic Front and Mizo National Front
- Examples of Regional Parties operating in states only.
- Tamil Nadu - AIADMK (All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) DMK
- Andhra Pradesh- Telugu Desham Party, Lok Satta
- Kerala- Kerala Congress
- Puducherry- AINRC (All India N.R. Congress)
- Jharkhand-JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha)
- Maharashtra- INC (Indian National Congress)
- Odisha- BJD (Biju Janta Dal)
12.0Role of Regional Parties
- Over the last three decades the number and strength of regional Parties has expanded
- The presence of regional parties has made Parliament politically more Diverse
- In case of fractured verdict Regional Parties come to play their role
- Since 1996, every one of the state Parties have got opportunities to be part of one or the other national level coalition government
- National parties are compelled to form alliance with state parties Example- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Govt was formed by taking support form regional parties.
- The Alliance of national and state parties has strengthened the federalism and democracy in India.
| Name of the Party | Year of Foundation | Basic Ideologies | Symbol |
| Indian National Congress | 1885 (the party has split many times) | Endorses secular principles Aims at the welfare of weaker sections and minority communities | |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 1980 | Seeks complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India Believes in cultural nationalism (Hindutva) and uniform civil code for all people | |
| Bahujan Samaj Party | 1984 | Champions the cause of the dalits, adivasis andOBCs | |
| Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) | 1964 | Believes in the principles of socialism, Marxism, Leninism, secularism and democracy | |
| Communist Party of India(CPI) | 1925 | Believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism anddemocracy | |
| All India Trinamool Congress | 1988 | This party is Committed to secularism and federalism. | |
| Nationalist Congress Party | 1999 | Believes in democracy, equity, social justice andfederalism | |
13.0Challenges faced by political parties
We have seen how crucial political parties are for the working of democracy. Since parties are the most visible face of democracy, it is natural that people blame parties for whatever is wrong with the working of democracy. All over the world, people express strong dissatisfaction with the failure of political parties to perform their functions well. This is the case in our country too. Popular dissatisfaction and criticism have focussed on four problem areas in the working of political parties. Political parties need to face and overcome these challenges in order to remain effective instruments of democracy.
(a) Lack of internal democracy
- Every member of the party does not have a chance to take part in decision making process.
- Every member is not consulted before taking a decision.
- There is no proper organisation or registration of members.
- Power remains in the hands of a few top leaders, who do not consult ordinary members.
- Ordinary members have no information about the internal workings of the party.
- More than loyalty to party principles and policies, personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important.
(b) Dynastic succession:
The second challenge of dynastic succession is related to the first one. Since most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning, 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 to favour people close to them or even their family members. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family. This is unfair to other members of that party. This is also bad for democracy, since people who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to occupy positions of power. This tendency is present in some measure all over the world, including in some of the older democracies.(c) Money and muscle power:
Various political parties contest elections, there is competition, and a lot of money is needed. Money is needed to organise demonstrations, public meetings and speeches to publicise the image of the party. Parties choose those candidates who can raise money for the party and win elections with their 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(d) Meaningful choice to others:
In recent years there has been a decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world. For example, the difference between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in Britain is very little. They agree on more fundamental aspects but differ only in details on how policies are to be framed and implemented. In our country too, the differences among all the major parties on the economic policies have reduced. Those who want really different policies have no option available to them. Sometimes people cannot even elect very different leaders either, because the same set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another.14.0How can parties be reformed?
(a) Defection and Affidavit
- When an elected MP or MLA changes his party, it is called Defection. The constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties. This was done because many elected representatives were indulging in defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards. Now the law says 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. MPs and MLAs have to accept whatever the party leaders decide.
- 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 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.
(b) Some of the suggestions made to reform political parties
- Laws made to regulate internal affairs of political parties.
- It should be compulsory to maintain a register of its members.
- Hold independent authority, to act as a Judge inquiry in case of party disputes.
- Hold open elections to higher posts.
- It should be mandatory to give party tickets to women candidates. There should be a quota for women in decision making bodies of the party.
- The government or the state should help parties during elections by funding them.
- Expenses for petrol, paper, telephone, etc. given.
- Cash can be given on the basis of votes secured by the party in the last elections. These suggestions have not yet been accepted by political parties. If and when these are accepted these could lead to some improvement. But we must be very careful about legal solutions to political problems. Over-regulation of political parties can be counterproductive. This would force all parties to find ways to cheat the law. Besides, political parties will not agree to pass a law that they do not like.
(c) How can an ordinary citizen help in reforming political parties?
- Pressure should be put on the political parties. This can be done through petitions, ordinary citizens, pressure groups, movements and the media can play an important role in this. If political parties feel that they would lose public support by not taking up reforms, they will become more serious about reforms.
- Political parties can improve if they allow more and more people to join their organisation. The quality of democracy improves if there is maximum participation by the public. If the public only criticise from outside, it has no effect. To improve bad politics, good politics must take charge.
15.0Glossary
- Political Party - It is a political association or a voluntary group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government.
- Election commission - It is an independent multi-member body which is constituted for the superintendence, direction and conduct of elections.
- Partisan - A person who is strongly committed to a party, group or faction. Partisanship is marked by a tendency to take a side and inability to take a balanced view on an issue.
- One party/Mono party - It means a system in which only one party operates in the political system for various reasons. In this system there is no opposition, e.g. China.
- Two party or Bi-party system - A political system where there are two major parties. In this system power usually changes between two main parties. e.g. U.K. & U.S.A.
- Multi Party system - It is a political system where more than two parties exist and contest elections to come to power.
- National Parties - Parties that are present in only one of the federal units and are country wide Parties known as national parties. These parties
- State or Regional Parties - The parties that are present in several or all units of the federation known as state or regional parties.
- Recognised Political Parties - The parties which get recognition by the election commission gives election symbols, Privileges and some other special election facilities are known as the recognised political parties.
- Leftist Parties - Left-wing politics supports social equality often in opposition to social hierarchy or any other form of class division.
- Rightist Parties - Right-Wing politics is centered around beliefs that certain social orders and hierarchies are inevitable and natural, with this belief being supported by natural law or tradition. 12.0pposition - The political party or group of parties that form part of a legislature but are not in government. They check the activities of the government.
- Defection - It signifies changing party allegiance from the party on which a person gets elected to a different party. i.e. members change a party for money post etc.
- Affidavit - It is a signed document submitted to an officer, where a person makes a sworn statement regarding his/her personal information.
- Ruling Party - Political party that runs government.
16.0MIND MAP