Political Parties Class 10 Notes

Political parties are one of the pillars of democracy and the essence of ideological division in a democratic space. A political party is the flag bearer of an ideology that may be internationally recognized or formulated locally based on the socio-economic parameters. Class 10th civics teaches you what is a political party in a way that makes it easy for you to comprehend. The chapter titled Political Parties in Class 10 can be a difficult one to study since as political parties are based on their respective ideologies, with governance being the central function. To help you understand this chapter, we have prepared a comprehensive summary of Political Parties Class 10 notes which can provide you with all the details you need to crack your civics exam.

The Necessity of Political Parties

The first topic in Class 10 Political Parties explores the essential need for political parties in a democratic government. In a healthy democracy, political parties are the symbol of governance for many. India is a predominantly rural society where most people identify governance with a political party rather than the constitution. Most Indian citizens are quite aware of their importance. In a diverse country like India, people find themselves naturally connected to the political party that carries their socioeconomic, cultural, and economic interests. If we look at the various challenges the political parties face, the most appropriate answer will be public criticism. Indians are highly critical of any party that does not run on a parallel line with the public interest.

What is a Political Party? 

A political party can be best explained as a group of individuals sharing the same set of beliefs that they find appropriate for governance. One of the most important features of a political party is that it will try to gain public trust by persuading them to believe in their vision and policies. In our study notes for Class 10 Political parties, you must remember the following key elements of a political party: 

1. Leaders
2. Active members
3. Followers

Functions of Political Parties 

In class 10th civics, you will also learn about the functions of political parties elaborately. Here are the study notes for the functions of Political Parties:

• Political parties contest elections based on their manifestos and thus keep the democracy healthy and performance-based.
• Political parties provide different policies for governance. Even if it is not possible to satisfy the diverse population of a nation like India, a common minimum program is always welcomed.
• Parties are responsible for making laws through legislation.
• Parties are responsible for forming governments and running the administrative machinery of a nation.
• Parties shape public opinions and also launch movements through their lakhs of supporters.
• Opposition parties keep the ruling party on its toes and make sure that no policy that is against the public interest is passed in the parliament. However, they have limited powers in this regard.
• Parties provide public access to government schemes through their local leaders as they are more approachable than government officers by the public.
• The necessity of political parties lies in the fact that we will only have independent candidates without them, and they won’t be able to run the country efficiently. 

How Many Parties Should We Have?

In Class 10th chapter on Political Parties, you will also learn that there are more than 750 registered political parties in India. The registration is done with the Election Commission of India, and any citizen of India can form a political party. In China, only one party system prevails so it cannot be called democratic, while in the United States of America, there is a two-party system. When several parties compete for power in a democratic setting, it is more obvious that the two major parties will share power alternately. The two major parties can gain a majority of their own or can form a government with other smaller parties in the alliance.

This chapter on Political Parties also notes down the major various challenges faced by political parties in an alliance. In that case, some of the most common answers will be seat sharing, sharing cabinet ministries, and the common minimum program. One of the main features of a political party in an alliance in India is the compromise on ideology. While some parties can be of centrist ideology, others may be leaning towards the left or the right. The National Democratic Alliance, The United Progressive Alliance, are the two major alliances in Indian politics and are often unstable and messy.

National Parties in India

Moving to the next section of Class 10 Political Parties, you will study the national parties which are mainly the ones that have their presence in most of the Indian states. In contrast, regional parties are confined to specific boundaries within the nation. Going through our Class 10 notes on Political Parties, you must remember that one of the most important political party features on the national level is the proportion of votes and seats it gets. The election commission decides on this basis if the party is a national or a regional party. The function of political parties at the national level is highly diversified as they have to maintain their presence in all the states. 

A political party confined to a particular region usually takes up local issues that are restricted to the socio-economic challenges of the region. Here is a complete list of major National Parties in India: All India Trinamool Congress

• Bahujan Samaj Party
• Communist Party of India
• Bharatiya Janata Party
• Indian National Congress
• Communist Party of India (Marxist)
• Nationalist Congress Party

State Parties

 A Political party securing at least 6 percent of the total votes in a state legislative election and winning at least two seats is considered as a state-level party. While studying our Class 10 Political Parties notes, you must know that state parties have gained considerable strength in the last three decades. One of the most important functions of political parties at the state level is to keep up the demands of the state in front of the national government if it feels that the state is being neglected.

What are the Various Challenges faced by Political Parties?

The most common challenge faced by political parties throughout the world is the dissatisfaction of the common public. You will learn in Class 10th chapter on Political Parties that internal democracy can be a great crisis that can affect the proper functioning of a party. Features of a political party can include their funding and the way they conduct themselves just before the elections. The use of muscle power, along with illegal funding is also a catastrophe of Indian politics. A political party should offer its voters something unique; the ideological differences between political parties around the world are diminishing. 

How Can Parties be Reformed?

A political party should undertake necessary reforms to keep up with popular sentiments and socio-economic changes. Some of the reforms that are needed and have been discussed in national debates are defection laws, internal democracy, more space for women candidates, state funding to parties for their election expenses, lowering the influence of money and muscle power.

Class 10 Political Parties Important Questions

• State the various functions political parties perform in a democracy.
• What are the various challenges faced by political parties?
• Suggest some reforms to strengthen parties so that they perform their functions well?
• What is a political party? 
• What are the characteristics of a political party? 

Thus, we hope that our Class 10 Political Parties notes help you prepare for this chapter in the right way! Confused about finding the right stream after 10th? Our Leverage Edu experts are here to help you at every step of your academic and professional journey! Sign up for a free session with us now!