Political Parties

Political parties are fundamental to the functioning of democracy. Without them, democracies cannot exist.

• Absence of Parties: Imagine a situation without political parties. Every candidate would be independent.
• Candidates would be accountable only to their constituency.
• No one would be responsible for how the country is run.
• Government formation would be uncertain and short-lived.
• Policy decisions would be difficult to make and implement consistently.

• Emergence of Parties: Parties emerged from the need for:
• Representing diverse views on various issues.
• Bringing different representatives together to form a responsible government.
• Providing a mechanism to support or restrain the government.
• Making policies and justifying them.

• Modern Democracies: Large-scale societies need political parties to:
• Gather different views on various issues.
• Present these views to the government.
• Mobilize public opinion and support policies.
• Provide a mechanism for collective responsibility and accountability.

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.
• They seek to persuade people why their policies are better than others.

Components of a Political Party:

1. The Leaders: Top decision-makers, strategists, and public faces of the party.
2. The Active Members: Engaged in various party activities, organizing, campaigning, and implementing policies.
3. The Followers: Ordinary members and supporters who vote for the party and participate in its activities.

Political parties perform a series of functions that are crucial for democratic governance.

1. Contest Elections: Parties nominate candidates and put them up for elections. Candidates are chosen by leaders or members.
2. Form Policies and Programmes: Parties put forward different policies and programmes, and the voters choose from them. Each party has its own ideology and agenda.
3. Make Laws: When parties come to power, they make laws for the country. Legislators are party members and follow party directives.
4. Form and Run Governments: Parties form and run governments. The executive is drawn from the ruling party/coalition.
5. Role of Opposition: Parties that lose elections play the role of opposition. They voice different views, criticize government failures, and mobilize opposition to the government.
6. Shape Public Opinion: They raise and highlight issues, organize protests, and launch movements to shape public opinion on various matters.
7. Access to Government Machinery and Welfare Schemes: Parties provide people access to government schemes and officials. For an ordinary citizen, it is easier to approach a local party leader than a government officer.

These functions collectively ensure accountability, representation, and governance in a democracy.

The necessity of political parties can be understood by imagining a world without them.

• Without Parties: Every candidate would be independent. No one would be able to make promises about major policy changes.
• The government formed would be unstable and uncertain.
• Elected representatives would be accountable to their constituency but not to the country as a whole.
• There would be no mechanism for collective responsibility.

• With Parties: Parties:
• Aggregate and articulate diverse interests.
• Provide a platform for collective decision-making.
• Offer choices to voters regarding policies and leadership.
• Ensure accountability of the government to the people.
• Act as a link between citizens and the government.

Political parties are essential for the smooth functioning of representative democracies.

The number of political parties varies significantly across democracies.

• One-Party System: Only one party is allowed to control and run the government.
• Example: China (Communist Party).
• Not considered a good option for democracy as it offers no real choice.

• Two-Party System: Power usually changes between two main parties.
• Example: USA (Democrats, Republicans), UK (Labour, Conservatives).
• Other parties may exist but rarely win enough seats to form a government.
• Offers a stable government but limited choice.

• 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.
• Example: India.
• Allows for a wider range of interests and opinions to be represented.
• Often leads to coalition governments, which can be less stable but more representative.

• India's Context: India has a multi-party system. This is because of its vast social and geographical diversity. No single party can represent all sections of society. Coalitions are common.

The choice of system often depends on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, its history of politics, and its system of elections.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) lays down specific criteria for recognizing parties as 'National' or 'State' parties. Recognition grants privileges like a unique election symbol, free broadcast time, and access to electoral rolls.

Criteria for a National Party: A party is recognized as a National Party if it satisfies ANY one of the following conditions:

1. Secures at least 6% of the total votes polled in a General Election to the Lok Sabha or Assembly elections in four States AND wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha.
2. Wins at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha (i.e., 11 seats in the current Lok Sabha of 543 members) from at least three different States.
3. Is recognized as a State Party in at least four States.

Major National Parties (as of recent elections):

• Indian National Congress (INC): Founded 1885. Oldest party. Centrist ideology, secularism, welfare of weaker sections. Led UPA.
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): Founded 1980. Guiding philosophy: Integral Humanism and Cultural Nationalism (Hindutva). Wants full territorial and political integration of J&K with India, uniform civil code, ban on religious conversions. Led NDA.
• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP): Founded 1984 by Kanshi Ram. Represents Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and religious minorities. Seeks to secure the interests of the 'Bahujan Samaj'.
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M): Founded 1964. Believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism, and democracy. Opposes imperialism and communalism.
• Communist Party of India (CPI): Founded 1925. Believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism, and democracy. Opposes secessionism and communalism.
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): Formed 1999 after a split in Congress. Advocates democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice, and federalism. Major party in Maharashtra.
• All India Trinamool Congress (AITC): Founded 1998 by Mamata Banerjee. Committed to secularism and federalism. Dominant in West Bengal.
• National People's Party (NPP): Recognized as a national party in 2019. First party from the North-East to achieve this status. Advocates for the rights of tribal communities.

Understanding the ideology and electoral base of each national party is crucial.

Parties that are not recognized as National Parties are called 'State Parties' (or 'Regional Parties').

Criteria for a State Party: A party is recognized as a State Party if it satisfies ANY one of the following conditions:

1. Secures at least 6% of the total valid votes polled in the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned AND wins at least 2 seats in that Assembly.
2. Secures at least 6% of the total valid votes polled in the General Election to the Lok Sabha from the State concerned AND wins at least 1 seat in the Lok Sabha from that State.
3. Wins at least 3% of the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State, or at least 3 seats in the Assembly, whichever is more.
4. Wins at least 1 seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to that State.
5. Secures at least 8% of the total valid votes polled in the General Election to the Lok Sabha from the State or to the Legislative Assembly of the State.

Significance of State Parties:

• State parties play a crucial role in Indian federalism.
• They often represent regional aspirations and specific cultural identities.
• Many state parties have become national-level players through alliances (e.g., DMK, AIADMK, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, RJD, BJD, TDP).
• The rise of state parties has contributed to the era of coalition governments at the Centre, making Indian democracy more representative and federal.

The distinction between national and state parties is based on their electoral performance and geographical spread.

Political parties face several challenges that hinder their effective functioning and public trust.

1. Lack of Internal Democracy: Parties often do not hold regular organizational meetings, conduct internal elections, or maintain membership registers.

• Power is concentrated in a few top leaders.
• Ordinary members have little say.
• Lack of transparency in candidate selection.

1. Dynastic Succession: Top positions are often controlled by members of one family.

• This is unfair to other members and bad for democracy.
• Lack of merit-based leadership.

1. Money and Muscle Power: Parties tend to nominate candidates who have or can raise a lot of money.

• Rich candidates and criminals often get tickets.
• This leads to corruption and criminalization of politics.

1. Lack of Meaningful Choice: Often, there is little ideological difference between parties, especially in economic policies.

• Voters sometimes feel they have no real choice.
• This leads to voter apathy.

These challenges erode public trust and weaken democratic institutions.

Several measures have been taken or proposed to reform political parties and strengthen democracy.

Legal Reforms (by Law):

1. Anti-defection Law: An amendment to the Constitution (52nd Amendment Act, 1985) prevents MLAs and MPs from changing parties after elections.

• If an elected member changes party, they lose their seat in the legislature.
• Aimed at curbing political defections and ensuring stability.

1. Affidavit System: The Supreme Court mandated that every candidate contesting elections must file an affidavit giving details of their property and criminal cases pending against them.

• Aimed at reducing the influence of money and criminals.
• Information is made public.

1. Election Commission Orders: ECI has made it mandatory for political parties to hold organizational elections and file their income tax returns.

• Aimed at increasing internal democracy and financial transparency.

Proposed Reforms (Suggestions):

1. Internal Democracy: Law to regulate the internal affairs of political parties.

• Mandatory membership registers, independent authority for internal elections, quota for women.

1. State Funding of Elections: Government should give parties money to meet their election expenses.

• Could be in kind (petrol, paper, telephone) or cash based on votes polled.
• Aimed at reducing reliance on private funding and curbing money power.

1. Quota for Women: Mandatory provision for one-third reservation for women candidates in party tickets and decision-making bodies.
2. Transparency in Funding: Strict laws to regulate how parties receive and spend money. Public disclosure of donations.
3. Public Participation: Encourage more public participation and pressure from citizens, media, and movements to force parties to reform.

Reforms require both legal changes and active public engagement.