JAC Class 10 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties 

JAC Board Class 10th Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties

JAC Class 10th Civics Political Parties InText Questions and Answers

Page 74

Question 1.
Okay, granted that we can’t live without political parties. But tell me on what grounds do people support a political party?
Answer:
There is nothing wrong with any of the political parties. It is we people who have power in a democracy. So, if we are right in our thought and action, the parties will have to work accordingly. They simply represent what we are. They also come from our society. We have ballots in our hands which give them life.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties 

Question 2.
The inspiration behind the following imaginary narrative is Shri Kishen Patnaik (1930-2004), also known as Kishenji. He was elected as a Member of Parliament from Sambalpur, Odisha in 1962. What did Kishenji mean by an alternative political formation? The question came up in a conversation between Sudha, Koruna, Shaheen and Gracy. All four women had led very powerful people sovements in different parts of the country. They were meeting in a village in Odisha, away from their day-to-day struggles, to think afresh the future ofpeople s movements.

The discussion naturally turned to Kishenji, who was regarded as a friend, political philosopher and moral guide by all the movement groups in the country. He had argued that people’s movements should embrace politics openly. His argument was simple yet powerful. Movements focused on a  single issue are suitable as long as we wish to achieve limited changes in a  articular aspect of life. But if we wish to bring about a fundamental social transformation, or basic change even in one aspect of life, we would need a political organisation. People s movement must establish a new political formation to act as a moral force in politics.

This was an urgent task, he said, because all the existing political parties had become irrelevant for social transformation. “But Kishenji never clarified what that organisation will be. He talked of an alternative political formation or a third force in politics.But did he mean a political party?” said Gracy. She felt that an old style political party mas not the right instrument for social change. Sudha agreed with her. “I have thought about it several times. I agree that all the struggles that we are involved with – the struggle against displacement, against globalisation, against caste and gender oppression and for an alternative kind of development – all this is political. But the moment we form a party, all the goodwill we have earned all these years will be lost. People will think of us as no different from other politicians. “Besides”, added Karuna, we have seen that a lot can be achieved by putting pressure on the existing political parties.

We tried putting up candidates in panchayat elections, but the results were not very encouraging. People respect our work, they even adore us, but when it comes to voting they go for the established political parties. Shaheen did not agree with them Let us be very clear. Kishenji wanted all the people’s movements to forge a new political party. Of course he wanted this party to be a different kind of a party. He was not for political alternatives, but for an alternative kind of politics.” Kishenji is no more. What would be your advice to these four activists? Should they form a new political party? Can a political party become a moral force in politics? What should that party be like?
Answer:

  1. We would not advice the four activists to form a new political party. But to launch a popular movement in order to bring about a fundamental social transformation.
  2. Yes, political party can become a moral force if it is based on popular participation and the fundamental principles of social transformation.
  3. As Kishenji believed in the different kind of a party based on, to provide alternative kind of politics, so the political party should be in the form of a healthy pressure group. The party must launch a new political movement to establish a new political formation to act as a moral force in politics.

Page 77

Question 3.
Let us apply what we have learnt about party systems to the various States within India. Here are three major types of party systems that exist at the State level. Can you find the names of at least two States for each of these types:
(a) Two – party system
(b) Multi – party system with two alliances
(c) Multi – party system
Answer:
(a) Two – party system: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh.
(b) Multi – party system with two alliances: Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir.
(c) Multi – party system: Bihar, Uttar Pradpsh.

Page 83

Question 4.
Why don’t parties give enough tickets to women? Is that also due to lack of internal democracy?
Answer:

  1. In patriarchal Indian society, men always tend to use authority in politics. If the parties give tickets to women, steadily the power will go into their hands, which the Indian mentality is still not ready to accept.
  2. Yes, this is an example of lack of internal democracy. At least one-third of the seats, for which the party is contesting, should be allocated to the women.

Page 85

Question 5.
Can you identify which of the challenges described in this section are being highlighted in these cartoons (on page 83 to 85). What are the ways to curb the misuse of money and muscle power in politics?
JAC Class 10 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties  1
Answer:
The cartoons highlight the challenge of the frequent use of money and muscle power in politics shown by the political parties.

Page 86

Question 6.
Do you agree that this form of reforming political parties will be acceptable to them?
Answer:
We hope so because this is good not only for them but also for the democracy. They all are meant for strengthening democracy. They also feel the need for reformation. A fair politics will be appreciated by all the parties.

JAC Class 10th Civics Political Parties Textbook Questions and Answers

Question 1.
State the various functions political parties perform in a democracy.
Answer:
Following are the major functions performed by the political parties:
(i) Parties contest elections:
In most democracies, elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by political parties. Parties select their candidates in different ways.

(ii) Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters choose from them. Each of us may have different opinions and views on what policies are suitable for the society. But no government can handle such a large variety of views. 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.

(iii) Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country. Laws are debated and passed in the legislature. But since most of the members belong to a party, they go by direction of the party leadership irrespective of their personal opinions.

(iv) Parties form and run governments:
The big policy decisions are taken by the political executives who come from the political parties.

(v) Parties select leaders, train them and then make them ministers to run the government in the way they want.

(vi) 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.

(vii) 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 solving of problems faced by the people. Often opinions in the society crystallise on the lines parties take.

(viii) 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. That is why they feel close to parties even when they do not fully trust them.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties 

Question 2.
What are the various challenges faced by joiiticai parties?
Answer:
The various challenges faced by the political parties are:
(i) Lack of internal democracy within parties. All over the world there is a tendency in the political parties towards the concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top.

(ii) Dynastic succession is related to the first one. Since most political parties do not practise open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party. This keeps the parties deprived of apt leadership.

(iii) Growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections. Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use short-cuts to win elections. They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money.

(iv) Parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters: In order to offer a meaningful choice, parties must be significantly different. In recent years there has been a decline in the ideological differences among the parties in most parts of the world.

Question 3.
Suggest some reforms to strengthen parties so that they perform their functions well.
Answer:
Many suggestions are often made to reform political parties:

  1. Laws should be made to regulate the internal affairs of parties. They should follow their constitution.
  2. They should have one – third seats reserved for women candidates at every level in the organization.
  3. There should be a State funding of elections.
  4. The people should put pressure on political parties through petitions, publicity and agitations.
  5. Parties can improve if those who are interested also join the political parties.

Question 4.
What is a political party?
Answer:
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.

Question 5.
What are the characteristics of a political party?
Answer:
Following are the characteristics of a political party:

  1. It is a group of people coming together to contest elections and share power.
  2. It agrees on some policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote collective good.
  3. It seeks to implement these policies by winning popular support through.
  4. It reflects a fundamental political division of the society.
  5. It is known by which part it stands for which policies it supports and whose interest it upholds.

Question 6.
A group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government is called a …………
Answer:
Political Party

Question 7.
Match List 1 (organizations and struggles) with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:

List – I List – II
1. Congress Party A. National Democratic Alliance
2. Bharatiya – Janata Party B. State Party
3. Communist Party of India (Marxist) C. United Progressive Alliance
4. Telugu Desam Party D. Left Front
1 2 3 4
(a) C A B D
(b) C D A B
(c) C A D B
(d) D C A B

Answer:
(c) C,A,D and B

Question 8.
Who among the following is the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party?
(a) Kanshi Ram
(b) Sahu Maharaj
(c) B. R. Ambedkar
(d) Jyotiba Phule
Answer:
(a) Kanshi Ram

Question 9.
What is the guiding philosophy of the Bhartiya Janata Party?
(a) Bahujan samaj
(b) Revolutionary democracy
(c) Integral humanism
(d) Modernity
Answer:
(b) Revolutionary democracy

JAC Class 10 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties 

Question 10.
Consider the following statements on parties:
A. Political parties do not enjoy much trust among the people.
B. Parties are often rocked by scandals involving top party leaders.
C. Parties are not necessary to run governments.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) A, B and C
(b) A and B
(c) B and C
(d) A and C
Answer:
(b) A and B

Question 11.
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Muhammad Yunus is a famous economist of Bangladesh. He received several international honours for his efforts to promote economic and social development for the benefit of the poor. He and the Grameen Bank he started jointly, received the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2006. In February 2007, he decided to launch a political party and contest in theparliamentary elections. His objective was to foster proper leadership, good governance and build a new Bangladesh. He felt that only a political party different from the traditional ones would bring about new political culture. His party would be democratic from the grassroots level.

The launching of the new party, called Nagarik Shakti (Citizen’s Power) has caused stir among the Bangladeshis. While many welcomed his decision, some did not like it. “Now I think Bangladesh will have a chance to choose between good and, bad and eventually have a good government, ” said Shahedul Islam, a government official. “That government, we hope, would not only keep itself away from corruption but also make fighting corruption and lack money a top priority. ” But leaders of traditional political parties who dominated the country s politics for decades were apprehensive. “There was no debate (over him) winning the Nobel, but politics is different – very challenging and often controversial, ” said a senior leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Some others were highly critical. They asked why he was rushing politics. “Is he being planted in politics by mentors from outside the country, ” asked one political observer. Do you think Yunus made a right decision to float a new political party? Do you agree with the statements and fears expressed by various people? How do you want this new party organised to make it different from other parties? If you were the one to begin this political party how would you defend it?
Answer:

(i) Yes, Yunus’s decision to float a new political party is right and appreciable.

(ii) I agree with the statement of the government official, Shahedul Islam that the launch of this new party may change the political culture of the country. But I don’t agree with the fear of the senior leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

(iii) (1) It should be democratic from very grassroots level.

(2) It should have equal place for rich and poor, men and women, educated and non- educated, rural and urban people without any discrimination.

(3) It should draft policies which keep the society integrated and take the country towards development.

(iv) (1) The floating of such a party is necessary because the existing parties have moved away from carrying their democratic responsibilities.

(2) Instead of strengthening democracy, they are just taking it as a means to amass wealth.

(3) This party is being launched to foster proper leadership, good governance and build a new Bangladesh.

(4) It is going to bring about a totally new political culture, more democratic and more transparent.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Solutions

JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties

JAC Board Class 10th Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
What is the name of the alliance that formed the government in 1998 in India?
(a) National Democratic Alliance
(b) United Progressive Alliance
(c) National Progressive Alliance
(d) United Democratic Alliance
Answer:
(a) National Democratic Alliance

Question 2.
Which of these is not a good option for a democratic state?
(a) One – party system
(b) Two – party system
(c) Multi – party system
(d) None of the above
Answer:
(a) One – party system

JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties width=

Question 3.
Political parties exercise power through which of these functions?
(a) Parties contest elections
(b) They play a decisive role in making laws for a country
(c) They form and run governments
(d) All the above
Answer:
(d) All the above

Question 4.
Who chooses the candidates for contesting elections in India?
(a) Members and supporters of the party
(b) Top party leadership
(c) The existing government
(d) None of these
Answer:
(b) Top party leadership

Question 5.
When was the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) formed?
(a) 1956
(b) 1986
(c) 1946
(d) 1964
Answer:
(d) 1964

Question 6.
Which of these statements is incorrect about CPI (M)?
(a) Supports socialism secularism and democracy
(b) Opposes imperialism and communalism
(c) Wants to secure socio – economic justice in India
(d) None of the above
Answer:
(d) None of the above

Question 7.
In which of these states does the CPI (M) enjoy strong support?
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) West Bengal
(d) Chhattisgarh
Answer:
(c) West Bengal

JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties width=

Question 8.
What is a signed document submitted to an officer regarding her personal information?
(a) Affidavit
(b) Declaration
(c) Agreement
(d) Appeal
Answer:
(a) Affidavit

Question 9.
Which of these statements is correct?
(a) Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission
(b) The Commission treats all the parties equally
(c) It offers some special facilities to large and established parties
(d) All of the above
Answer:
(d) All of the above

Question 10.
How many parties are registered with the Election Commission of India?
(a) 250
(b) 300
(c) 500
(d) More than 750
Answer:
(d) More than 750

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Mention the three components of a political party.
Answer:
A political party has three components – the leaders, the active members and the followers.

Question 2.
What do you mean by Partisan?
Answer:
Partisan is 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.

Question 3.
Explain the term Ruling Party.
Answer:
The party which wins the election with majority and runs government is called a Ruling Party.

Question 4.
What is meant by multi – party system?
Answer:
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.

Question 5.
Define opposition.
Answer:
The party that forms part of a legislature but is not in the Government is known as opposition party. Its main function is to check the activities of the Government.

Question 6.
What is Defection?
Answer:
Changing party allegiance from the party on which a person got elected (to a legislative body) to a different party is known as Defection.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties width=

Question 7.
What is Affidavit?
Answer:
Affidavit is a signed document submitted to an office where a person makes a sworn statement regarding her personal information.

Question 8.
Define Election Commission.
Answer:
It is an independent multi – member body which is constituted for the superintendence, direction and conduct of elections.

Question 9.
What is meant by alliance?
Answer:
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.

Question 10.
Write any one challenge to political parties in India.
Answer:
Challenge of growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially, during elections.

Question 11.
How many parties are registered with the Election Commission of India?
Answer:
There are over 750 political parties registered with the Election Commission of India.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why do we need political parties? Explain.
Answer:
We need political parties for the following reasons:

  1. They put forward different policies and programmes before the people.
  2. They play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
  3. They form and run the government.
  4. They play the role of opposition to the parties in power.
  5. They shape public opinion. They raise and highlight the issue of utmost importance.
  6. They provide people access to government-run machinery and welfare schemes.

Question 2.
What is the criteria set by the Election Commission of India for political parties?
Answer:
The Election Commission of India has set certain criteria for political parties:

  1. National parties must secure at least 6% of the vote in the Lok Sabha elections or 6% of the vote in the election to at least 4 different State assemblies. They must win at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha.
  2. State parties must secure at least 6% of the vote in an assembly election. They must win at least two seats in the assembly election.

Question 3.
What is meant by a national political party? State the conditions required to be a national political party.
Answer:
The conditions required to be a national political party:

  1. A national political party is a party that is present in several or all units of the federation. In other words, it is a country wide party.
  2. It has its units in various states. By and large all these units follow the same policies.
  3. The following are the conditions required for a party to become a national party:
  4. A party has to secure at least six per cent of total votes polled in the Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four States.
  5. It has to win at least four seats in the Lok Sabha to be recognized as a national party.

Question 4.
What is meant by a regional party? State the conditions required to be recognized as a regional political party.
Answer:
The conditions required to be recognized as a regional political party:

  1. A regional party also called a State party is a political party which takes care of regional concerns and State’s interests only.
  2. It happens to have succeeded only in some States’ units of the federation. The following are the conditions required for a party to be recognised as a regional party:
  3. A party that secures at least 6 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 regional party.

Question 5.
Write a brief note on the Indian National Congress.
Answer:
The Indian National Congress was started in 1885/It was the dominant party of Indian politics at the national level and to a large extent at the State level for a long time. Since 1989 its influence has declined, but it still maintains a presence across the entire country. The party has seen many splits over the years. Ideologically, the party is centrist. It is neither leftist nor rightist. It Supports secularism and economic growth with a human face, especially towards the weaker sections of the society.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties width=

Question 6.
Write a brief note on State parties in India.
Answer:
brief note on State parties in India:

  1. Parties which have their presence only in the State level are called State parties. These include parties with national – level political organisations, but which have succeeded in only a few States.
  2. Samaj Wadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samata Party are examples of State parties with a national presence.
  3. Most State parties maintain a strong State- specific identity, like Biju Janata Dal and the Mizo National Front.
  4. Over the last few decades, State or regional parties has grown considerably.
  5. Since 1996, every government at the national level has been a coalition of parties headed usually by one national party.
  6. This has led to strengthening of the federal structure of our government.

Question 7.
What is the difference between a national party and a State party?
Answer:
There are three major differences between a national party and regional, State party:

  1. National parties have influence all over the country or in several States of India. The influence of a State party is limited to a State or a region.
  2. National parties take interest in national as well as international issues whereas regional or State parties are interested in promoting regional and State interest only.
  3. The national parties have to harmonise the national as well as State interests; whereas State parties usually stand for greater autonomy for States.

Question 8.
Why are symbols allotted to political parties in India? Explain the reasons.
Answer:
In India, every party has to register with the Election Commission. For the Commission, all parties are equal but it offers some special facilities to large and established parties.
The symbol allotted by the Commission shows that:

  1. the party is large and established.
  2. it has a well – organized presence in a large area.
  3. only the official candidate of the party can use this symbol.
  4. the party which gets it, is recognized by the Commission.
  5. the party is either a national or a State party.

Question 9.
How do money and muscle power play an important role in elections? Explain.
Answer:
Money and muscle power play an important role in elections:

  1. There is a great challenge about the growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections.
  2. Since parties are focused only on winning elections, they tend to use short-cuts to win elections. They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money.
  3. 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.

Question 10.
What is the role of an ordinary citizen in reforming the political parties?
Answer:
The role of an ordinary citizen in reforming the political parties:

  1. People can put pressure on political parties. This can be done through petitions, publicity and agitations. Ordinary citizens, pressure groups, movements and the media can play an important role.
  2. In a democracy, everybody has been given the right to speak, right to express his ideas and right to agitate.
  3. Political parties can improve if those who are interested also join the 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 criticise it from outside. The problem of bad politics can be solved by more and better politics.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Explain the necessity of political parties in democratic politics.
Answer:
Modem democracies cannot exist without political parties. They play significant roles in democracy. Following are the functions and importance of the political parties in a democracy:

  1. In most democracies, elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by political parties.
  2. Parties put forward different policies and programmes 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. This is what the political parties do.
  3. Political parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
  4. Parties form and run the governments. Parties select leaders, train them and then make them ministers to run the government in the way they want.
  5. Losing parties play the role of opposition to the parties in power, by voicing different views and criticizing government for its failure or wrong policies.
  6. Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties.
  7. Parties sometimes also, launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by the people.

Question 2.
Describe various ways of classifying the political system and the political parties.
Answer:
(i) Ways for classifying party system: The party system can be classified on the basis that how many parties are allowed to form, control and run the government. On this basis the party system can be classified into three categories:

  1. One – party system: In this system only one party is allowed to control and run the government. Example: China.
  2. Two – party system: In this system, however there may exist several parties but power is generally changed between only two major parties. Example: USA, UK.
  3. Multi – party system: In this system several parties compete for power. Example: India.

(ii) Ways for classifying of political parties:
1. On the basis of presence:

  • National Parties: These parties operate their functions country – wide. They have their units in various States. But by and large, all these units follow the same policies, programmes and strategies that are decided at the national level.
  • State Party: These parties do not operate their functions nation – wide. They keep their activities to a region or few states.

2. On the basis of proportion of votes and seats:

  • National Party: A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in the Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and win at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognized as a national party.
  • State Party: A party that secures at least six per cent of total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least two seats is recognized as a state party.

Question 3.
What is meant by dynastic succession in politics? Explain with examples.
Answer:
The dynastic succession is a major challenge for political parties in India. It affects the functioning of the political parties adversely in the following ways:

  1. The dynastic succession does not allow political parties to practise open and transparent procedures for their functioning. And, there is a limited scope for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
  2. In such a party, the leaders are in a position to favour the people close to them or even their family members.
  3. The top positions in the party are always controlled by members of one family which is unfair to other members of that party.
  4. There is a concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top.
  5. People who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to occupy positions of power.

Question 4.
Examine the institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders.
Answer:
The following are the two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political parties and their leaders:

(i) Anti – defection law:
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.

(ii) Affidavit:
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 to 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.

(iii) Mandatory organizational meeting and filling of ITR:
The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organizational elections and file their income tax returns. The parties have started doing so but sometimes it is a mere formality. It is not clear if this step has led to greater internal democracy in political parties.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties width=

Question 5.
Write short note on Indian national Congress and Bhartiya Janata Party.
Answer:
1. Indian National Congress (INC):

  • Popularly known as the Congress Party, is one of the oldest parties of the world, founded in 1885.
  • Played an important role in Indian politics at the national and state level.
  • Under J.L. Nehru it sought to build a modem secular democratic republic in India.
  • A centrist, party espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities and supports new economic reforms but with a human face.
  • A coalition partners in the state of Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress.
  • Since 2004 a member of the UPA.

2. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP):

  • Founded in 1980 by the Bhartiya Jana Sangh.
  • Wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s culture and values.
  • Cultural nationalism (or ‘Hindutva’) is an important element with conception of Indian nationhood and politics.
  • Wants integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India, a uniform civil code for all people of all religions, and ban on religious conversions.
  • Its support base increased in the 1990’s, it was earlier limited to north, west and urban areas, the party expanded its support in south, east, the north – east and to rural areas.
  • Currently leads the mling NDA coalition government at the centre.

Activity Based Questions

Question 1.
Write about the party whose symbol is shown below.
JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties 1
Answer:
Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI – M):
Founded in 1964. Believes in Marxism – Leninism. Supports socialism, secularism and democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism. It accepts democratic elections as a useful and helpful means for securing the objective of socio – economic justice in India. CPI – M enjoys strong support in Kerala and Tripura, especially among the poor, factory workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and the  intelligentsia.

It is critical of the new economic policies that allow free flow of foreign capital and goods into the country. It had 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. It supported the UPA government from outside, without joining the government.

Question 2.
Look at the picture and answer the following questions:
JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties 2
(a) Who was Berlusconi?
(b) When was Forza Italia founded?
(c) Write about the company owned by him?
Answer:
(a) Berlusconi was Prime Minister of Italy.
(b) Forza was founded in 1993.
(c) Berlusconi owns TV channels, the most important publishing company, a football club (AC Milan) and a bank

JAC Class 10 Social Science Important Questions

JAC Class 10 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties

JAC Board Class 10 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties

→ Why do we need political parties?

  • Political parties are one of the most easily visible institutions in a democracy.
  • Parties have become identified with social and political divisions.
  • About hundred years ago there were a few countries of the world that had any political party. Now, there are few that do not have parties.

→ Meaning

  • 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 programes for the society with a view to promote the collective good.
  • Parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society. Parties are a part of the society and thus involve PARTNERSHIP.
  • A political party has three components:
    (a) The leaders,
    (b) The active members, and
    (c) The followers.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties

→ Functions
Political parties fill political offices and exercise political power. Parties do so by performing a series of functions:
(a) Parties contest elections. In most democracies, elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by the political parties.
(b) Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters choose from them.
(c) Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country. Formally, laws are debated and passed in the legislature.
(d) Parties form and run the government. As we noted last year, the big policy decisions are taken by the political executives that come from the political parties.
(e) Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the parties in power, by voicing different views and criticizing the government for its failures or wrong policies.
(f) Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues. Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country.
(g) Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by the governments.

→ Necessity

  • We need political parties because they perform all these functions.
  • The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of representative democracies.
  • As we have seen, large scale societies need representative democracies.
  • Political parties fulfil these needs that every representative government has.

→ How many parties should we have?

  • In a democracy, any group of citizens is free to form a political party.
  • There are a large number of political parties in each country.
  • More than 750 parties are registered with the Election Commission of India.
  • In some countries, only one party is allowed to control and run the government. These are called one-party system in China, only Communist Party is allowed to rule.
  • 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 the election and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to the power.
  • In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties.
  • But only the two main parties have a bright chance of winning the majority of seats to form the government. Such a party system is called two-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 multi-party system.
  • 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.
  • The multi-party system often appears very messy and leads to political instability.
  • This system allows a variety of interests and opihions to enjoy political representation.

→ National parties

  • Democracies that follow a federal system all over the world tend to have two kinds of-politicitl parties: parties that are present in only one of the federal units and parties that are present in several or all units of Federation.
  • Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission. While the Election Commission treats all parties equally, it offers some special facilities to large and established parties.
  • Parties that get this privilege and special facilities are ‘recognised’ by the Election Commission are called, ‘recognised political parties’.
  • According to this classification, there were seven national recognised parties in the country in 2018. These are:
    (a) Indian National Congress
    (b) Bharatiya Janta Party
    (c) Bahujan Samaj Party
    (d) Communist Party of India-Marxist
    (e) Communist Party of India
    (f) Nationalist Congress Party
    (g) All India Trinamool Congress

JAC Class 10 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties

→ State party

  • Other than these seven parties, most of the major parties of the country are classified by the Election Commission as ‘State parties’.
  • Parties like
    (a) Samajwadi party,
    (b) Samata party and Rashtriya Janata Dal have national level political organization with units in several States.
  • Some of these parties like Biju Janata Dal, Sikkim Democratic Front and Mizo National Front and Telangana Rashtra Samithi are conscious of their State identity.
  • Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded.

→ Challenges to political parties

  • All over the world, people express strong dissatisfaction with the failure of political parties to perform their functions as well.
  • The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties. All over the world there is a tendency towards the concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top.
  • The leaders assume greater power to make decisions in the name of the party.
  • Since one or few leaders exercise paramount power in the party, those who disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.
  • The second challenge of the dynastic ‘ succession is related to the first one. Since
    most political parties do not practise open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
  • The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections.
  • Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties tend to have influence on the policies and decisions of the parties.
  • In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
  • The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters.

→ How can parties be reformed?
Let us look at some of the recent efforts and suggestions in our country to reform political parties and its leaders:
(a) 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.
(b) The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals.
(c) The Election Commission passed an . ordermaking it necessary for political parties to hold their organizational elections and file their income tax returns.

→ Besides these, many suggestions are often made to reform political parties:
(a) 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.

(b) It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to women candidates.

(c) There should be state funding of elections. The government should give parties money to support their election expenses.

  • These suggestions have not yet been accepted by political parties.
  • There are two other ways in which political parties can be reformed.
  • One people can put pressure on political parties. This can be done through petition, publicity, and agitation.

JAC Class 10 Social Science Notes