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

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties Important Questions and Answers.

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

Multiple Choice Questions

Political Parties Class 10 Important Questions And Answers HBSE Question 1.
Which one of the following is the most visible institution in a democracy?
(a) Political Party
(b) Pressure Group
(c) Public Interest Group
(d) Sectional Interest Group.
Answer:
(a) Political Party

HBSE 10th Class Civics Chapter 6 Political Parties Question 2.
A person who is strongly committed to a party, group or faction is known as:
(a) Partisan
(b) Separatist
(c) Leader
(d) Politician.
Answer:
(a) Partisan

Chapter 6 Political Parties HBSE 10th Class Civics Question 3.
A political party has three components, which of the following is not a component of a political party:
(a) The leader
(b) The active members
(c) The supporters
(d) Election symbol.
Answer:
(d) Election symbol.

Question 4.
Which one of the following is not a characteristic feature of a political party?
(a) It has a unity of purpose.
(b) It adheres to constitutional means:
(c) It does not fulfil its policies when voted to power.
(d) It has a certain organization.
Answer:
(c) It does not fulfil its policies when voted to power.

Question 5.
Which one of the following is not a function of political parties?
(a) Parties play a decisive role in making laws for the country.
(b) Parties entertain people.
(c) Parties contest elections.
(d) Parties put forward different policies and programmes.
Answer:
(d) Parties put forward different policies and programmes.

Question 6.
The Political Party that runs the government is :
(a) Ruling party
(b) Factional group
(c) Opposition party
(d) Interest group.
Answer:
(a) Ruling party

Question 7.
How many parties are registered with the Election Commission of India?
(a) more than 750
(b) less than 750
(c) 500
(d) 1110.
Answer:
(a) more than 750

Question 8.
A multi-party system implies:
(a) The political parties which govern the country.
(b) The government is formed by various parties coming together.
(c) This system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.
(d) Both (b) and (c).
Answer:
(d) Both (b) and (c).

Question 9.
Which of the following countries has adopted a multi-party system?
(a) China
(b) the United States
(c) the United Kingdom
(d) India.
Answer:
(d) India.

Question 10.
Every party in India has to register itself with :
(a) The Parliament
(b) The President
(c) The Police
(d) The Election Commission.
Answer:
(d) The Election Commission.

Question 11.
Indian National Congress was founded in the year :
(a) 1880
(b) 1885
(c) 1940
(d) 1980.
Answer:
(b) 1885

Question 12.
The political party which beliefs in Marxism-Leninism is :
(a) Nationalist Congress Party
(b) Communist Party of India
(c) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(d) Bahujan Samaj Party.
Answer:
(b) Communist Party of India

Question 13.
Which one of the following is not a national party?
(a) Trinamool Congress
(b) The Asom Gana Parishad
(c) The Indian National Congress
(d) The Bharatiya Janata Party.
Answer:
(b) The Asom Gana Parishad

Question 14.
Which one of the following is not a regional party?
(a) Communist Party of India
(b) The Akali Dal
(c) The Telugu Desam Party
(d) The Shiv Sena.
Answer:
(a) Communist Party of India

Fill In the blanks

1. ……………. are one of the most visible institutions in a democracy.
2. In India, the government is formed by various parties coming together in a …………..
3. Bhartiya Janata Party was formed in …………..
4. Elephant is the election symbol of ……………
5. Bhartiya Jana Sangh is the mother party of …………….
6. …………… is a tendency to take a side and an inability to take a balanced view on an issue.
7. …………… influences the whole country.
8. India is a vast and ………… country.
9. …………… in democracy is a political phenomenon.
10. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) was formed in …………..
Answer:
1. Political parties
2. coalition
3.1980
4. Bahujan Samaj Party
5. Bhartiya Jaftta Party
6. Partisanship
7. National Party
8. divers
9. Defection
10.1964.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Which is the most visible institution in a democracy?
Answer:
Political parties.

Question 2.
What is a political party?
Answer:
A political party is an organised group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government.

Question 3.
Who is a Partisan?
Answer:
A person who is strongly committed to a party, group or faction is called a partisan.

Question 4.
Give an example of a one-party system.
Answer:
China.

Question 5.
What is partisanship?
Answer:
Partisanship is marked by u tendency to take a side and the inability to take a balanced view on an issue.

Question 6.
Name three components of a political party.
Answer:
A political party lias three components:

• The leaders
• the active members
• The followers.

Question 7.
Write any two functions of political parties.
Answer:
(i) Contesting elections
(ii)‘ Forming and running the government.

Question 8.
Who plays u decisive role ¡n making laws for a country?
Answer:
Political Parties play a decisive role in making laws Ir a country.

Question 9.
Which party PlaYs the role of the opposition?
Answer:
The party that loses the election plays the role of opposition.

Question 10.
What is a ruling party?
Answer:
A political party that runs the government is called a ruling party.

Question 11.
Who provides people access to government mechinery and welfare schemes implemented by the government?
Answer:
Political parties.

Question 12.
Explain one-party system, With exa in pies.
Answer:
A system in which only a single party is allowed to work, control and run the government, is called a one-party system. For exa in pie-China.

Question 13.
Name any two countries which have adopted a two-party system.
Answer:
(i) United States of America (USA)
(ii) United Kingdom (UK).

Question 14.
What is a recognised political party?
Answer:
Parties which are recognised by the Election Commission are called recognised political parties.

Question 15.
Name any two recognise(1 national parties of India.
Answer:

• Bharatiya Junata Party (BJP)
• Indian National Congress (INC).

Question 16.
Which is time current ruling party ut the Centre?
Answer:
Bharntiya .1 anta Party.

Question 17.
When was lšharatiya Janata Party (BJP) founded?
Answer:
Bharatiya Janata Party was ftunded in 1980.

Question 18.
Write the full form of NDA?
Answer:
National Democratic Alliance.

Question 19.
When was the Bahujan Samaj Party founded?
Answer:
Bahujan Samaj Party was founded in 1984.

Question 20.
Who was the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party?
Answer:
Kanshi Ram was the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party.

Question 21.
What is the main ideology of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)?
Answer:
The main ideology of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is to secure the rights and welfare of the dalits, adiiasis, OBCs and religious minorities.

Question 22.
When was the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPL-M) founded?
Answer:
It was founded in 1964.

Question 23.
Which Parties believe in Marxism-Leninism?
Answer:
Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)

Question 24.
When was the Communist Party of India (CÍL) founded?
Answer:
The Communist Party of India was founded in 1925.

Question 25.
Which party was formed in 1999, following a split in the Congress Party?
Answer:
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Question 26.
Name any four state parties.
Answer:

• Samajwadi Party
• Rashtriya Janata Dal
• Mizo National Front.
• Samata Party.

Question 27.
What is defection?
Answer:
Changing party allegiance, from the party under which n person got elected (to a legislative body) lo n different party.

Question 28.
Who are MLA and MP?
Answer:
A member of the 11egislative Assembly is called an MLA while a member of Parliament is called an MP.

Question 29.
What is an affidavit?
Answer:
An affidavit is a signed document submitted to an officer wherein a person makes a sworn statement regarding his/her personal information.

Question 30.
Mention any one step taken by the Supreme Court of India in order to reduce the influence of money and criminals in politics.
Answer:
Now, it is compulsory for every candidate who contests elections, to file an affidavit giving details of his/her property and criminal cases pending against him/her

Short Answer Type Questions-I

Question 1.
What. role does an opposit ion party play in a democracy?
Answer:
The opposition party plays an important role in a democracy. A good and strong opposition keeps a check on the ruling party. This ensures that the ruling party does not misuse its power. It criticises the government for its failures or wrong policies. These parties also mobilise opposition to the government.

Question 2.
What is a two-party system? Give two examples.
Answer:
A system in which usually two main parties contest the elections to come to power is called two-party system. For example –
(i) United States of America (USA)
(ii) United Kingdom (UK).

Question 3.
Explain the multi-party system with an example.
Answer:
A system in which several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power, is called a multi-party system. For

Question 4.
State any two disadvantages of the single-party system.
Answer:
(i) The single-party system is not a democratic system. There must be at least two parties to compete in elections and provide a check to the ruling party.
(ii) In this system, the electoral system does not permit free competition for power, thus this system is quite similar to a dictatorship.

Question 5.
State any one advantage and one disadvantage of multi-party system.
Answer:
Advantage-This system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.
The disadvantage-The multi-party system often appears very messy and leads to political instability.

Question 6.
Why do we have a multi-party system in India ?
Answer:
India has developed a multi-party system because the social and geographical diversity in such a large country is not easily represented by two or even three parties. Therefore, we have a multi-party system in our country.

Question 7.
What do you understand by an alliance or a front? Give examples.
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. Examples-The National Democratic Alliance, the United Progressive Alliance and the Left Front.

Question 8.
What is a national party?
Answer:
A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four States and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a national party. Example— Bharatiya Janata Party.

Question 9.
Name any 6 national parties.
Answer:

• The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• The Indian National Congress (INC)
• All India Trinamool Congress
• Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
• Communist Party of India (CPI)
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Question 10.
Mention the source of inspiration for : (i) BJP, (ii) Congress, (iii) BSP.
Answer:

•  BJP: Indias ancient culture and values.
• Congress: This centrist party supports secularism.
•  BSP: It draws its inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj,

Mahatma Phule, Perlyar Ramaswami Naicker and B.R. Ambedkar.

Question 11.
Describe the circumstances in which the recognition of a national party can be withdrawn.
Answer:
The Election Commission can withdraw the recognition of a party as a national party in either of the following circumstances:
(i) The party ceases to fulfil the eligibility conditions.
(ii) The party does not follow the model code of conduct.

Question 12.
What is a state Party?
Answer:
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.
Example-Samajwadi Party.

Question 13.
Distinguish between direct and indirect ways of influencing politics.
Answer:
(i) Direct ways of influencing politics consist of the formation of political parties. These political parties seek the acquisition of power.
(ii) Indirect ways of influencing politics involve working through pressure groups and movements.

Short Answer Type Questions-II

Question 1.
‘Political parties involve Partisanship’. Explain
Answer:
By Partisanship, we mean a tendency to support a pre-determined view about an issue. It implies therefore a failure and an inability to take a balanced view. Each political party represents only a part of the society. It is known by (i) which ideals it stands for (ii) which policies it supports, and (iii) whose interests it upholds. No political party can be expected to rise above the interests of the political division it stands for. In this way, political parties involve partisanship.

Question 2.
‘Political parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country. Explain the statement.
Answer:
(i) Formally, laws are debated and passed in the legislature. But since most of the members belong to a political party, they go by the direction of the party leadership, irrespective of their personal opinions.

(ii) The party in power supports a bill, whereas the opposition party tries to find the negative points. So, the common people can know about the positive and negative points of the bill. We can say that political parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.

Question 3.
How do political parties help in the formation of public opinion? Explain.
Answer:

• They raise and highlight public issues through mass media.
• Many of the pressure groups are extensions of political parties among different sections of society.
• Parties sometimes also launch movements for the solution of problems faced by the people. Often, opinions in the society cryst-alize on the lines parties take.

Question 4.
How do the political parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes ?
Answer:
Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments. For an ordinary citizen, it is easier 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.

Question 5.
Why do we need to have political parties in our country ?
Answer:
We need to have political parties in our country because of the following reasons:
(i) It is very difficult to imagine a representative democracy without political parties because without parties, every candidate is independent. So, no one will be able to make any promise to the people about any major policy changes and new policies.
(ii) The rise of political parties is linked to the emergence of representative democracies. Large-scale societies need a representative democracy.
(iii) 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. This function is fulfilled by the political parties.

Question 6.
Discuss the various ways of classifying the political system and the political parties.
Answer:
There are many ways of classifying the political parties and the political system.

These are as follows:

• On the basis of the number of parties in a country, the party system can be classified as-one-party system, two-party system and multi-party system.
• On the basis of the area of influence, the parties can be classified as- national party, state party or regional party.
• On the basis of ideology, the political parties can be classified as- leftist party, rightist party or centrist party. .

Question 7.
Discuss the classification of party systems on the basis of the number of parties in the political system.
Answer:
On the basis of the number of parties, party system is classified into three kinds:
(i) One-party system or single-party system: In this system, only one political party is allowed to function and rule in the country. All political activities arc confined to this one party. There is no power sharing and no political competition. Example- China. Only the Communist Party of China is permitted to function and rule there.

(ii) Two-party system: ¡n this system, there are two major parties. There can be smaller parties also, but they have little or fo influence in the political sphere. The views of the two parties get clearly polarised, there is no conflict or clash. Example-Republican Party and Democratic Party in the USA.

(iii) Multi-party system : In this system, a large number of political darties are formed and permitted to function. However, out of this large number only a handful of parties emerge as winners. This system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation. Example-In India, more than 750 political parties are registered with the Election Commiss ion of India.

Question 8.
Explain merits and demerits of multi-party system.
Answer:
(i) Multi-party system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.
(ii) In this system, people have an opportunity to make a choice between several candidates.

Demerits of the multi-party system are:
(i) This system often appears very messy.
(ii) This system sometimes leads to political instability.

Question 9.
Briefly discuss the level of participation in activities of political parties.
Answer:
Political parties are one of the least trusted institutions all over the world. At present, the level of public participation in the activities of political parties is fairly high. The proportion of those who say that they are members of some political parties is higher in India than in many advanced countries such as Japan, Spain, Canada and South Korea. Over the last three decades, the proportion of those who report being members of political parties in India has gone up steadily.

Question 10.
flow is the criteria of the National Political Party and State Party decided by the Ejection Commission of India?
Answer:
Each party in the country has to register with the Election Commission. The Election Commission has laid down the detailed criteria of the proportion of votes and seats that a party must get in order to be a recognised party. A party that secures atleast six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four States and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sahha is recognised as a national party. When a party 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, it is recognised as a state party.

Question 11.
Distinguish between a national party and a state (regional) party.
Answer:
NtionaI Party:

• A party, that secures at least 6% of the total votes in Lok Sabha ejections or Assembly elections in four states, and wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a national party.
• These parties exist, operate and function throughout India.
• These parties raise national issues.
• For example-The Indian National Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, etc.

State (Regional) Parts:

• A party, that secures at least 6% 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 (regional party).
• These parties exist, operate and function at regional level.
• These parties raise regional issues.
• For example-the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, etc.

Question 12.
What is meant by defection’ in democracy? Explain.
Answer:
Defection in democracy is a political phenomenon. It means moving of a person from one party to another party for some personal benefit. It happens when a legislator, after having been elected from a particular party leaves it and joins another party. Now the law states that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose seat in the legislature. The new law has brought the percentage of defection down and has made
dissent is even more difficult.

Question 13.
Describe any three broad guidelines for devising ways and means for political reforms in India.
Answer:
The three broad guidelines for devising ways and means for political reforms in India are:
(î) A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political parties. Political parties should maintain a register of their members, hold open elections, follow their own constitution, etc.
(ii) Political parties can be monitored by ordinary citizens, pressure groups, media, etc. Pressure on political parties can be done through petitions, publicity and agitation.
(iii) The quality of democracy depends on the degree of public participation. It is difficult to reform politics if ordinary citizens do not directly participate in politics and simply criticise it from the outside.

Question 14.
Name the national political party which gets inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values. Mention four features of that party.
Answer:
Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) gets inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values.

The main features of this party are:

• Cultural nationalism or Hindutva is an important element in BJP’s conception of Indian nationhood and politics.
• It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
• It claims a uniform civil code for all people living in the country irrespective of religion.
• It wants to ban religious conversions. The party wants to get an anticonversion law to stop religious conversion in the country.

Question 15.
Why has India adopted a multi-party system ? Explain.
Answer:
India adopted a multiparty system for the follow reasons –

• India being a vast and diverse country, the multi-party system was needed to accommodate the vast population.
• The social and geographical diversity of India could not be represented by two or three parties.
• The multi-party system in India evolved over a long time, depending on the nature of society, its social, regional division, its history of politics and its system of elections.
• Multi-party system ensures a healthy competion between different parties and prevents dictatorship of a single party. Indian constitution declares India as a democratic country. Multi-party system fulfils this criteria and provides a chance for proper growth of the nation.

Question 16.
How do the State Parties contribute in strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country ?
Answer:
Over the last three decades, the number and strength of state parties has expanded in our country. These parties have made the Parliament of India politically more and more diverse. No one national party is able to secure on its own a clear majority in the Lok Sabha. So, 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 India.

Question 17.
Highlight the various challenges faced by political parties in India.
Answer:
Political parties face the following challenges:

•  Lack of internal democracy in the party.
• The extraordinary influence of the founder or one or few leaders at the top position.
• Dynastic succession.
• Use of money power by very rich persons, families or big companies.
• Use of muscle power by criminals.
• Parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters.
• The problem of defection.
• Problem of communalism.
• Problem of regionalism.

Question 18.
What role can ordinary citizens play in reforming political parties?
Answer:
1. 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 the outside. Where legal solutions to political problems are difficult to enforce, political parties can change for better with active public participation.
2. People can put pressure on political parties through petitions, publicity and agitations. Ordinary citizens, pressure groups, movements and media can play a vital role.
3. Political parties can improve, if those who want to make things better, also join the political parties. In this way, if political parties are made to feel that they would lose public support by not taking up reforms, all of them would become serious about the reforms.

Long Answer Type Qaes6ons

Question 1.
Describe the role of political parties in Indian democracy.
Answer:
Political parties perform a series of functions in our democracy. These are –

• Parties contest elections. By winning the election. Political party can form the government. Sometimes more than two parties form a coalition and form the government.
• Parties put forward different politices and programmes and the voters choose from them.
• Parties play a decisive role in making laws for our country by making debate and\ passing law for people.
• Parties form and run government by recruiting leaders, training them and making them ministers to run the government.
• Parties shape public opinion by raising and highlighting important issues.
• Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the parties in power by criticising the government for its failures or wrong policies.
• Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments. Parties have to be responsive to people’s needs and demands otherwise. People can reject those parties in the next elections.

Question 2.
What is meant by a political party? Describe the three components of a political party.
Answer:
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. Political parties always make some policies and programmes for society with a view to promoting the collective good. Every political party wants to persuade people and tries to win their support of people.

Three components of a political party are –

• The leaders: Every political party has some prominent leaders who formulate policies and programmes of the party and choose candidates for contesting elections.
• The active members: They are involved in different committees of the party and participate directly in their activity.
• The followers: They believe in the party’s ideology and support the party by casting their votes in favour of the Party at the time of election.

Question 3.
Explain the four different ways in which political parties are still in the grip of some serious challenges.
Answer:
The political partis are still in the grip of some serious challenges which are –

(i) The first challenge is lack of democracy within parties. All over the world, there is a tendency in political parties towards the concentration of powers in one or few leaders at the top. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings and do not conduct internal elections regularly.

(ii) The second challenge is dynastic succession where thé top positions of a party are always enjoyed by members of one particular family. This trend is harmful for other members of the party, as well as for democracy. This tendency is present in some measure all over the world.

(iii) The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in parties which is specially observed during elections. Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties always have a say on the policies and decisions of the party.

(iv) The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters. In our country, the difference among all the major parties on the economic policies have reduced. Sometimes, the same set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another, thus people have real no option available to them.

Question 4.
“Lack of internal democracy is a challenge to efficient functioning of Indain political parties.” Justify the statement.
Answer:
Lack of internal democracy is a challenge to the efficient functioning ofpolitical parties. The following points justify the statements –

• 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 organisational meetings and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
• Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what happens inside the party. They do not have the means or the connection needed to influence the decisions. As a result, the leaders assume greater power to make decisions in the name of the party.
• Since one or few leaders exercise the power in the party, those who disagree with the\ leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.

Question 5.
State in brief the formation, programmes and policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Answer:
Formation:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was founded in 1980 by reviving the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh or we can say, it was the largest group of Janata Party, which was formed before the Lok Sabha elections held in 1977. Programmes and Policies : Programmes and policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party

BJP arc the following:

• Bharatiya Janata Party 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 concept of Indian nationhood and politics.
• It wants full territorial and political integration ofjaminu and Kashmir with India.
•  It wants a uniform civil code for all people living in the country irrespective of religion, caste and creed.
• It is in strong opposition to religious conversions.
• It wants dealing the terrorists with a heavy hand.
• B.JP wants all-round empowerment of women.
• Strengthening national security, both internal and external, to overcome present and future challenges.
• Broadening and deepening of economic reforms.
• Complete eradication of poverty and unemployment.
• Quantum improvement in the quality of life of all Indians by fuilfihling their basic needs in healthcare, education, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and drinking water.
• A world-class infrastructure in power, IT, telecom. railways, roads, airtravel, shipping, port and inland having. on, markets and the financial sector. Empowerment of min. ‘cies and ending the majority-minority distinction in politics.

Question 6.
What is the necessity of a political party for a democracy?
Answer:
Modern democracies cannot exist without political parties. Without existence of parties, following situations may occur
(i) Every candidate in the elections will be independent. No one will be able to make any promises to the people about any major policy changes.

(ii) The government may be formed, but its utility will remain ever uncertáin. 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.

(iii) The Panchayat elections are non-party-based elections to the Panchayat in many states of India. Although the parties do not contest formally, it is generally noticed that the village gets split into more than one group, each of which puts up a ‘panel’ of its candidates. This creates the need for the political party

(iv) The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of representative democracies. As societies became large and complex, they needed some agency to gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government.

(v) Society needs a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies. justify or oppose them. Political parties fulfil the needs of every representative government.

Question 7.
Discuss some of the recent efforts and suggestions in our country to reform political parties and its leaders
Answer:
Some of the recent efforts and suggestions in our country to reform political parties and its leaders are the following:
(i) The Constitution of India was amended to prevent the elected Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from changing their parties. It is called defection, when elected candidates change their parties for personal benefits. But now according to this law, the elected candidate would lose his seat in the legislature, if he indulges in defection.

(ii) In order to reduce the role of money and muscle power in elections, the Supreme Court has passed an order which says that every contesting candidate will have to file an affidavit stating his her personal property and the criminal cases pending against him her. This would help the voters in making better decisions regarding their vote.

(iii) The Election Commission has passed an order, making it essential for political parties to hold their organisational elections at regular intervals and file their income tax re turns.