Political party – A group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government is called Political party.
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.
A political party has three components:
- The leaders
- The active members
- The followers
Functions and need for Political Parties:
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.
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 and policies 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.
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.
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.
To form and run the Government:
Formation of government is one of the aims and functions of a political party.
For this purpose, the party must have a clear and absolute majority in the Legislature.
In a Parliamentary system, the leader of the party in power becomes the Prime Minister and he appoints the other ministers in his Cabinet.
Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers to run the government in the way they want.
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
Linkage between the Government and People:
Parties provide a link between the people and the government.
Party representatives meet the public at the local level.
They listen to their problems and convey these to their party colleagues, who are in the government. They also explain government difficulties and its point of view to the people.
The political parties are a good bridge between the government and the people.
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.
Need for Political Parties:
Democracies cannot exist without political parties, is clear the functions they perform. If there were no political parties then:
All candidates 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 unity.
No one will be responsible for how the country will be run; elected leaders would be responsible or accountable to their constituencies only.
Political parties are a must in representative democracies.
In large societies only representative agency to gather different views on various issues and presents them to the government.
They bring various representatives together to form a responsible government and that is why they are a must in a democracy.
In India, more than 750 parties are registered with the Election Commission of India.
Party system: There are three types of party systems.
One-party system:
There is no competition in this system.
The one party nominates the candidates and the voters have only two choices- (i) Not to vote at all or (ii) write yes or no against the name of the candidates nominated by the party.
This system has been popular in Communist countries and other authoritarian regimes.
The countries following this system are China North Korea and Cuba.
This system: Single-party system however limits the choices and freedoms of the citizens and hence it is not a democratic option.
In a Bi-party system:
In a Bi-party system power shifts between two major, dominant parties.
In this system to win elections, the winner has to get maximum number of votes, but not necessarily a majority of votes.
The smaller parties usually merge with the bigger parties or they drop out of elections.
This parliamentary system prevails in Great Britain and Canada USA, in which only two parties hold significant numbers of seats.
Supporters of this system believe that this prevents dangers of fragmentation.
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.
In this system three or more parties have the capacity to gain control of the government separately or in coalition.
In this system, the general constituencies form multiple, distinct, officially recognised groups called political parties.
An 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
CP1 (m) Left front.
National political parties:
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.”
They must get a certain proportion of votes in order to be a recognised party 6% of votes in an election to Legislative Assembly of a state and win at least two seats to be recognised as a state party.
If a party wins 6% of total votes in the Lok Sabha and at least 4 seats in a State Assembly, it is recognised as a National Party.
Introduction to major political parties in India:
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 Emerged as the largest party with 145 members in the Lok Sabha elections held in 2004.
Currently leads the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition government at the centre.
Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)
It was created in 1980, by reviving the established Bhartiya Jana Sangh.
It champions the socio religious values of the Hindu majority of India, conservative social policies, and strong national defence.
It is strongly supported by Hindu organisations, informally known as the Sangh Parivar in which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) plays a big role.
It wants full territorial integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India and a uniform civil code.
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.
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.
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.
Lost elections in 2004 and is the principal opposition party in the Lok Sabha.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
The Bahujan Samaj Party is a party formed to represent the OBC, SC, ST and religious minorities, those at the bottom of India’s caste system.
The BSP was formed in 1984 by two leaders, Kanshiram and Mayawati.
The main base of the party is in Uttar Pradesh.
It draws inspiration from the teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker.
The BSP also draws inspiration from the teachings of Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar who was of the opinion that abolition of the caste system was indispensable for the abolition of untouchability.
It now wants to uplift the “Bahujan Samaj” (majority castes) and promotes “Sarva Samaj’ (the whole society).
In the Lok Sabha elections held in 2004, it polled about 5% votes and secured 19 seats in Lok Sabha
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CP1-M)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), usually known as CP1(M) , split from the Communist Party of India in 1964.
It is strongest in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura as of 2006, and leads the government in all these states.
It supports socialism, secularism and democracy.
It opposes imperialism and communalism.
It believes in democratic elections and supports them as means of securing socio-economic justice in India.
They criticise free flow of foreign capital and goods into the country.
In 2004 elections, it won about 6% of votes and 43 seats in Lok Sabha.
Communist Party of India (CPI)
It was formed in 1925, believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy.
It is opposed to the forces of communalism.
The split in the party in 1964, led to the formation of CPI (M).
It has a significant presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
It secured 1.4% votes and 10 seats in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
It was formed on May 25, 1999, by Sharad Pawar, P.A. Sangamna and Tariq Anwar after they were thrown out of the Congress Party.
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.
The NCP claims that it supports democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice and federalism.
Since 2004, NCP is a member of the United Progressive Alliance, which governs the country.
State Parties:
Other than these six 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.
Some of these parties are all India parties that happen to have succeeded only in some states.
Parties like the Samajwadi Party, Sarnata 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.
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 Lok Sabha.
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.
Challenges faced by political parties:
Political parties have to face the challenges and to improve, if they want to be effective in performing their functions.
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.
Dynastic succession:
With power in the hands of a few top leaders, all party positions to their family members.
These members may not be qualified or have the ability to hold their positions.
People who come from weaker sections, or have no contact with the top leaders, cannot rise to the top positions.
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.
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
How can parties be reformed?
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 case 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.
An affidavit is a signed document submitted to an officer, where a person makes a swom statement regarding her/his personal information.
In the case of politics, a candidate has to file an affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him.
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.
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 inquiry in case of party disputes.
Hold open elections to top party posts.
It should be mandatory to give 1/3 party tickets to women candidates.
There should be a quota for women in decision making bodies.
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.
