Political Parties
A political party
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 programs for the society with a view to promote the collective good.
Partisan (Active member)
A person, who is strongly committed to a political party
Partisanship ( Follower)
Partisanship is marked by a tendency to take a side and inability to take a balanced view on an issue.
Components of a political Party
A political party has three components:
1. The leaders
2. The active members and
3. The followers
What does a political party do? OR What are the functions of political parties? OR Why do we need political parties?
1. Political Parties contest elections.
In most democracies, elections are fought mainly among the candidates
put up by political parties. In India, top party leaders choose
candidates for contesting elections.
2. Parties put forward different policies and programs and
the voters choose from them. In a democracy, a large number of similar
opinions have to be grouped together to provide a direction in which
policies can be formulated by the governments.
3. 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.
4. Parties form and run governments. Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers to run the government in the way they want.
5. Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to
the ruling parties, by voicing different views and criticising
government for its failures or wrong policies. Opposition parties also
mobilise opposition to the government.
6. Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues. Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people.
7. Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments. For an ordinary citizen it is easy to approach a local party leader than a government officer.
We can understand the necessity of political parties by imagining a situation without parties.
1. Every candidate in the elections will be independent. So no one will be able to make any promises to the people about any (National level Policies) major policy changes.
2. The government may be formed, but its utility will remain ever uncertain.
3. 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.
4. The
rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of
representative democracies. As societies became large and complex, they
also needed some agency to gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government.
5. They
needed Political party to bring various representatives together so
that a responsible government could be formed. They needed a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies, justify or oppose them.
Political Parties and Party System
1. Single Party System
In
some countries, only one party is allowed to control and run the
government. These are called one-party systems. In China, only the
Communist Party is allowed to rule.
2. Two Party System
In
some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several
other parties may exist 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.
3. 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.
4. In India there were three such major alliances in 2004 parliamentary elections
National Democratic Alliance
United Progressive Alliance
Left Front.
How many parties should we have in a democracy? OR How many major or effective parties are good for a democracy?
1. 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.
2. Each country develops a party system that is conditioned by its special circumstances.
3. For
example, if India has evolved a multi-party system, it is because the
social and geographical diversity in such a large country is not easily
absorbed by two or even three parties.
4. No system is ideal for all countries and all situations.
(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.)
5. (The multi-party system often appears very messy and leads to political instability)
Political parties in India
1. Recognised Political Parties
Election
Commission offers some special facilities to large and established
parties. These parties are given a unique symbol, privileges and some
other special facilities. That is why these parties are called,
‘recognised political parties’.
2. National Parties
A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or six per cent of the total votes in Assembly elections in four States and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha or two seats in four states is recognized as a national party.
3. State Parties
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.
National Political Parties
1. Indian National Congress(INC)
a. Congress Party is one of the oldest parties of the world. It was founded in 1885 and has experienced many splits.
b. Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the party sought to build a modern secular democratic republic in India.
c. Ruling
party at the centre from 1947 to 1977 and then from 1980 to 1989. After
1989, its support declined, but it continues to be present throughout
the country, cutting across social divisions.
d. A
centrist party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological
orientation, the party espouses secularism and welfare of weaker
sections and minorities.
e. Currently leads the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition government at the Centre.
2. Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)
a. It was founded in 1980 by reviving the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
b. It
wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from
India’s ancient culture and values. Cultural nationalism (or ‘Hindutva’)
is an important element in its conception of Indian nationhood and
politics.
c. It
wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir
with India, a uniform civil code for all people living in the country
irrespective of religion and ban on religious conversions.
d. Earlier
its popularity was limited to north and west and to urban areas but the
party expanded its support in the south, east and north-east and to
rural areas.
e. Came to power in 1998 as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance including several state and regional parties.
3. Bahujan Samaj Party( BSP)
a. It
was formed in 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram.It seeks to
represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj which includes the dalits, adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities.
b. It
draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma
Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar.
c. It stands for the cause of securing the interests and welfare of the dalits and oppressed people.
d. 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.
e. It formed government in Uttar Pradesh several times by taking the support of different parties at different times.
f. In the Lok Sabha elections held in 2004, it polled about 5 per cent votes and secured 19 seats in the Lok Sabha.
4. Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M):
a. It was founded in 1964. It believes in Marxism- Leninism.
b. It supports socialism, secularism and democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism.
c. It accepts democratic elections as a useful and helpful means for securing the objective of socioeconomic justice in India.
d. It
enjoys strong support in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, especially
among the poor, factory workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and the
intelligentsia.
e. Has
been in power in West Bengal without a break for 30 years. In 2004
elections, it won about 6 per cent of votes and 43 seats in the Lok
Sabha.
5. Communist Party of India (CPI)
a. It was formed in 1925. It believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy.
b. It opposes to the forces of secessionism and communalism.
c. It accepts parliamentary democracy as a means of promoting the interests of the working class, farmers and the poor.
d. It
became weak after the split in the party in 1964. Significant presence
in the states of Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu.
e. Its
support base had gradually declined over the years. It secured about
1.4 per cent votes and 10 seats in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
6. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP):
a. It was formed in 1999 following a split in the Congress party.
b. It espouses democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice and federalism.
c. It wants that high offices in government be confined to natural born citizens of the country.
d. A major party in Maharashtra and has a significant presence in Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam.
e. A
coalition partner in the state of Maharashtra in alliance with the
Congress. Since 2004, a member of the United Progressive Alliance.
State political parties
1. Regional
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.
2. Parties
like the Samajwadi Party, Samata Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal have
national level political organisation with units in several states.
3. Some
of these parties like Biju Janata Dal, Sikkim Democratic Front and Mizo
National Front are conscious about their State identity.
4. 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.
5. No
one 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 from1996
Challenges to political parties
1. The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within
parties. All over the world there is a tendency in political parties
towards the concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top.
Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organizational
meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
2. The second challenge is dynastic succession.
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.
3. The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in
parties, especially during elections. They tend to nominate rich
candidates and in some cases, parties support criminals who can win
elections.
4. The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters. In recent years there has been a decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world.
5. Since
political parties are the most visible face of democracy, it is natural
that people blame parties for whatever is wrong with the working of
democracy. Popular dissatisfaction and criticism has focused on four
problem areas in the working of political parties.
How can political parties be reformed? (Some of the recent efforts made to reform parties)
1. The
Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing
parties. Because some elected representatives indulge 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.
2. 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.
3. The
Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political
parties to hold their organizational elections and file their income tax
returns.
Some suggestions made to reform political parties and its leaders:
1. 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, follow its own constitution and hold open
elections to the highest posts.
2. It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to women candidates.
3. There
should be state funding of elections. The government should give
parties money, petrol, paper, telephone etc. to support their election
expenses.
4. There are two other ways in which political parties can be reformed.
A) People can put pressure on political parties. This can be done
through petitions, publicity and agitations. Ordinary citizens, pressure
groups and movements and the media can play an important role in this.
5. B)
Political parties can improve if many join political parties. The
quality of democracy depends on the degree of public participation. It
is difficult to reform politics if ordinary citizens do not take part in
it and simply criticize it from the outside.
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