CBSE · Class 10 · Social Science · Civics: Political PartiesDiscuss the necessity of political party reforms in India. What major steps have been taken in recent times to reform political parties and their leaders?

Introduction\nSince political parties are facing severe challenges such as lack of internal democracy, dynastic succession, money and muscle power, and lack of meaningful choice, there is a strong need to reform them. If parties do not mend their ways, there is little hope for genuine democracy. Therefore, various attempts have been made in India to reform political parties and their leaders.

Recent Steps Taken for Reform

1. Anti-Defection Law

• Preventing Defection: 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.
• Disqualification Rule: Now the law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, they will lose their seat in the legislature. This has made defection difficult, though it has also made party leadership's writ absolute over legislators.

2. Affidavit of Assets and Criminal Cases

• Supreme Court Order: 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.
• Informed Voting: The new system has made a lot of information available to the public. However, there is no system to check if the information given by the candidates is true.

3. Directions by the Election Commission

• Organizational Elections: The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organizational elections and file their income tax returns.
• Internal Democracy: Parties have started doing this, sometimes merely as a formality, but it has brought some degree of transparency to party structures.

Suggestions for Further Reforms

• Law on Internal Affairs: A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political parties. It should be made compulsory for parties to maintain a register of members and follow their own constitution.
• State Funding of Elections: There should be state funding of elections. The government should give parties money petrol, paper, telephone, etc., or give cash to support their election expenses.
• Public Participation: People can put pressure on political parties through petitions, publicity, and agitations. If political parties feel that they would lose public support by not being reformist, they will become serious about change.

Conclusion\nReforming political parties is a complex task. While legal solutions can sometimes be counter-productive, genuine political reform can only take place when ordinary citizens participate actively and put moral and political pressure on the political system.