MP Board · Class 10 · Social Science · Civics: Political PartiesWhat are the various challenges faced by political parties in India? Suggest some reforms to strengthen political parties so that they perform their functions well.

Introduction\nPolitical parties are the most visible face of democracy, yet widespread dissatisfaction is expressed across the world about how political parties perform their duties. India is no exception. To understand how to improve parties, we must first look at the challenges they face and the reforms attempted or needed.

Major Challenges Faced by Political Parties

• Lack of Internal Democracy: Within parties, there is a 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.
• Dynastic Succession: This is related to the first challenge. Since most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for internal elections, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top. Leaders tend to favour people close to them or their family members, leading to unfair advantage to family members and relatives, which is bad for democracy.
• Money and Muscle Power: Elections are all about winning at any cost, and parties tend to use short-cuts. They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise a lot of money. Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties tend to influence policies and decisions. In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
• Meaningful Choice: Very often, parties do not offer a meaningful choice to voters. To get a meaningful choice, parties must be significantly different. In recent years, there has been a decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world, including India, making it difficult for voters to distinguish between them.

Reforms to Strengthen Political Parties

1. Anti-Defection Law: The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties (Anti-Defection Law). This has reduced defection, but it has made MPs and MLAs accept whatever the party leadership decides.
2. Affidavit on Assets and Criminal Cases: The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals. Now, it is mandatory for every candidate contesting elections to file an affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him.
3. Mandatory Organisational Elections: The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns.
4. State Funding of Elections: The government should give parties money-in cash or kind—to support their election expenses to reduce the dependence on rich donors.
5. Active Public Participation: Ultimately, reforms will not work if the ordinary citizens do not take part in politics. Parties can be reformed only if those who want this participation join political parties rather than criticizing from outside.

Conclusion\nThus, addressing challenges like internal democracy, dynastic politics, and the influence of money and muscle power is crucial for the health of Indian democracy, requiring both legal measures and vigilant public participation.