NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science Civic Chapter 6
Poltical Science Class 10 Civic
Political Parties Chapter 6
Important NCERT Questions Based on new NCERT Books for Session 2022-2023
Questions No: 2
What are the various challenges faced by political parties?
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Various challenges faced by political parties:
Lack of internal democracy
This is caused by the concentration of power in the hands of a few leaders. As a result, positions at the top are reserved for the leaders’ relatives (dynastic succession) or people close to them.
Increased dependence on money and muscle power
This causes the party policies to be moulded by groups which supply these to the party.
Failure to provide a meaningful choice to the voters
This is because of the decline in fundamental, ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world.
The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties. 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 connections needed to influence the decisions.
The second challenge of dynastic succession is related to the first one. Since most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party. Those who happento be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour people close to them or even their family members. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family. This is unfair to other members of that party. This is also bad for democracy, since people who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to occupy positions of power.
The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections. Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use short-cuts to win elections. They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money. Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties tend to have influence on the policies and decisions of the party. In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters. In order to offer 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. For example, the difference between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in Britain is very little. They agree on more fundamental aspects but differ only in details on how policies are to be framed and implemented.
1. Erosion of Ideology: Challenges in maintaining and adhering to core ideological principles.
2. Leadership Crisis: Difficulty in finding capable and credible leaders to represent the party.
3. Internal Factionalism: Infighting and power struggles among party members affecting unity.
4. Electoral Financing: Financial constraints for election campaigns and party operations.
5. Voter Disillusionment: Declining trust due to unmet promises and corruption allegations.
6. Media Management: Managing party image and narratives in an era of instant media scrutiny.
7. Regional and Identity Politics: Challenges from regional parties focusing on identity-based concerns, impacting national party dominance.