Chapter 14 – Parties and the Party System in India
Q1. What is a political party?
A political party is an organised group of people with common ideology that seeks to attain and maintain political power through elections.
Q2. What are the functions of political parties?
They contest elections, form governments, shape policies, represent people, provide leadership, and act as a link between the government and citizens.
Q3. What is a party system?
A party system refers to how political parties in a country interact, compete, and function within the political framework—India has a multi-party system.
Q4. What are the types of party systems?
- One-party system
- Two-party system
- Multi-party system
Q5. What kind of party system does India follow?
India has a multi-party system where regional and national parties coexist, compete, and form coalition governments.
Q6. Name two national parties of India.
- Indian National Congress (INC)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Q7. What is the difference between national and regional parties?
National parties have a pan-India presence and agenda, while regional parties focus on specific states and local issues.
Q8. Name any three regional parties.
- DMK (Tamil Nadu)
- Shiv Sena (Maharashtra)
- TMC (West Bengal)
Q9. What is coalition politics?
It’s a system where multiple parties form a government together, often due to no single party getting a clear majority.
Q10. What is the importance of opposition parties?
They question the government, represent alternative policies, protect democracy, and hold the ruling party accountable.
Q11. What led to the rise of regional parties in India?
Linguistic, cultural, economic, and regional demands gave rise to parties that focused on state-specific identities and issues.
Q12. What was the Congress System?
A term by Rajni Kothari describing Congress’s dominance in early decades, where opposition was weak and internal party factions acted like multiple parties.
Q13. What led to the decline of the Congress party?
Factionalism, centralisation, emergence of strong regional parties, corruption issues, and public dissatisfaction reduced Congress’s popularity.
Q14. What is an alliance in Indian politics?
A pre-election or post-election agreement between parties to contest together or share power.
Q15. Name two major national alliances.
- National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
- United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
Q16. What are recognised political parties?
Parties that meet certain vote or seat criteria set by the Election Commission and get privileges like reserved symbols.
Q17. What is the role of the Election Commission in party regulation?
It registers parties, allots symbols, monitors campaign finance, and ensures free and fair elections.
Q18. What is inner-party democracy?
It means having transparency, fair elections, and democratic decision-making within a political party.
Q19. Why is inner-party democracy important?
It prevents dictatorship in parties, promotes accountability, encourages new leadership, and strengthens democracy.
Q20. What is a party manifesto?
A public declaration of a party’s promises, policies, and programmes before elections.
Q21. How do political parties mobilise support?
Through rallies, social media, manifestos, caste/religion-based appeals, and ground-level party workers.
Q22. What challenges do political parties face?
Dynastic politics, criminalisation, corruption, lack of internal democracy, and over-reliance on vote banks.
Q23. What are pressure groups?
Organised groups that influence public policy without contesting elections, like trade unions and farmers’ associations.
Q24. How do pressure groups differ from political parties?
Pressure groups influence policies but don’t seek power; parties aim to win elections and form governments.
Q25. What are party symbols?
Visual signs allotted by the Election Commission to identify and distinguish political parties on ballots.
Q26. What role do parties play in policy-making?
Winning parties form governments and make laws and policies based on their ideologies and manifestos.
Q27. What is horse-trading in politics?
Illegal or unethical practice where legislators are bribed or persuaded to switch parties, often during government formation.
Q28. What are defections?
When elected representatives leave their party for another, often for personal gain—prevented by the Anti-Defection Law.
Q29. What is the Anti-Defection Law?
Passed in 1985, it disqualifies legislators who defect to another party, promoting political stability.
Q30. How can party reforms strengthen Indian democracy?
By ensuring internal democracy, transparency in funding, promoting clean candidates, and enforcing strict anti-defection laws.