Political Parties Class 10 NCERT Solutions & Notes PDF 2026
Subject: Social Science (Democratic Politics - II) | Chapter: 4
📥 Download Notes PDF 📢 Join Telegram📝 Introduction to Political Parties
For most ordinary citizens, democracy is synonymous with Political Parties. Whether you travel to remote villages or bustling cities, people may not know much about the Constitution, but they definitely know about political parties. But what exactly is a political party, and why do we need them? 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.
In this chapter, we will explore the different party systems across the world, the distinction between National and State (Regional) parties in India, the major challenges political parties face today (like corruption and dynastic succession), and the steps being taken to reform them.
🔑 Key Concepts & Terminology
- Partisan: 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.
- One-Party System: A system where only one party is allowed to control and run the government (e.g., China). This is not considered a democratic option.
- Two-Party System: A system where power usually changes between two main parties (e.g., USA and UK).
- Multi-Party System: A system where 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 (e.g., India).
- Defection: Changing party allegiance from the party on which a person got elected to a different party.
- Affidavit: A signed document submitted to an officer, where a person makes a sworn statement regarding her personal information (like wealth and criminal records).
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Textbook Questions)
Q1: State the various functions political parties perform in a democracy.
Ans: Political parties perform the following key functions:
1. Contest Elections: Parties select candidates to fight elections.
2. Put forward Policies: They offer a variety of policies and programmes for voters to choose from.
3. Make Laws: Parties play a decisive role in making laws for the country through the legislature.
4. Form and Run Governments: The party that wins the majority forms the executive and runs the government.
5. Role of Opposition: The parties that lose play the crucial role of questioning the government and keeping it in check.
6. Shape Public Opinion: They raise and highlight public issues.
7. Provide Access: They provide ordinary citizens access to government machinery and welfare schemes.
Q2: What are the various challenges faced by political parties?
Ans: Political parties face four major challenges:
1. Lack of Internal Democracy: Power tends to concentrate in the hands of one or a few top leaders. Ordinary members do not get sufficient information or a chance to rise to the top.
2. Dynastic Succession: Top positions are always controlled by members of one family, which is unfair to other hardworking members and bad for democracy.
3. Money and Muscle Power: Parties often focus only on winning elections, so they nominate rich candidates or those with criminal backgrounds who can easily secure votes.
4. Lack of Meaningful Choice: In recent years, there has been a decline in ideological differences among parties, leaving voters with no real alternate policies.
Q3: Suggest some reforms to strengthen parties so that they perform their functions well.
Ans: Some effective measures to reform political parties include:
1. Internal Democracy Law: It should be made mandatory for parties to maintain a register of members and hold regular organizational elections.
2. Women's Quota: It should be made legally binding to give a minimum number of tickets (about one-third) to women candidates.
3. State Funding of Elections: The government should give parties money (or resources like petrol, paper) to support their election expenses to reduce the influence of rich donors.
4. Public Pressure: Citizens, media, and NGOs can put pressure on parties through petitions and agitations to adopt reforms.
⚡ Part 2: Top PYQs & Extra Questions
Short Answer Type Questions
Q4: What is an 'alliance' or 'front'? Give one example.
Ans: 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. Example: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in India.
Q5: What are the criteria for a party to be recognized as a 'National Party'?
Ans: According to the Election Commission, a party must secure at least 6% of total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four States, AND win at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha to be recognized as a National Party.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q6: Explain the role of the Election Commission in regulating political parties in India.
Ans: The Election Commission of India plays a vital role in regulating parties to ensure fair democracy:
1. Registration: Every party must register with the Election Commission.
2. Recognition: It grants recognition to parties as 'National' or 'State' parties based on their vote share and seats won.
3. Allotment of Symbols: It provides unique election symbols to recognized parties.
4. Enforcing Rules (Affidavits): The Supreme Court, executed through the EC, made it mandatory for every candidate to file an affidavit detailing their property and criminal cases.
5. Income Tax Returns: The EC passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organizational elections and file their income tax returns.
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Q: Which of the following countries is an example of a Two-Party system?
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