• A political party is a group of like-minded people who hold similar views on political issues of the country.

• It is an organised group seeking to gain power through democratic means.

• In pursuit of this objective, political parties field their candidates in the election held for the public offices of the country

• Unity of purpose: A political party can only function when all its members are united on basic issues and policy matters.

• Organised system of working: The political party should follow some rules and regulations and maintain a certain discipline.

• Constitutional means: It should work through democratic means to attain its objective.

• National interest: The parties working for groups such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, factory workers are considered as political parties because they work on non-sectarian issues.

• Programme & policy: A political party should hv certain aims and objectives.

The Election Commission grants recognition to a political party. A political party is recognised as a national party if it is already recognised in four or more states.

Besides this, the candidates set up by a party should secure 6% of the total valid votes.

The Fundamental Right to form associations of citizens is guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution, which protects the political parties from undue harassment.

Link between the people and the government: The political parties help in moduling public opinion and providing political education to the ppl by conducting public meetings, holding demonstartions, putting up posters, etc.

They make ppl aware of the performance of the govt.

Further, the problems and aspirations of the ppl are brought the notice of the govt. by them.

Participation in elections

Selection of candidates

Campaigns

Good Governance

Role as an opposition

Act as an unifying bond

Social Change

• It traces its origins to Indian National Congress founded in 1885. Since then it has undergone several splits. The seventh general elections in 1980 saw Mrs. Indira Gandhi returning to power, so the INC now came to be called as INC (Indira).

• After the 14th general elections in 2004, the Congress Party formed an alliance with the other parties called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and formed the government.

• Policies and Programmes:

Reservation of jobs in private sectors for tribals.

Selective privatisation of state-owned companies.

Reservation of one-third of the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats for women.

Providing employment to every rural household at a minimum wage for a 100 days every yr.

Increase in allocation on education to 6% of the GNP.

Revival of Public Distribution System

Revival of the sick Public Sector Industries.

In 1989 when there was a split in Janata Party, the erstwhile Jan Singh rechristened itself into Bharatiya Janta Party. It was the single largest party in 1996 and in 1999 General Elections it came close to a majority in the Lok Sabha winning 182 seats.

Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was the Prime Minister in the earlier govt. was elected as the Prime Minister again.

Policies and programmes:• It shares the objective of Public Funding of

elections with its allies in the NDA.• Creation of smaller states.• Creating about million jobs a yr.• To favor equal opportunities and privileges to all

minority sections of the society.• To deal with the cases of communal violence

speedily.• Establish National Security Council for

strengthening the defense of the country.• Review of the Nuclear Weapons Policy.

• The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a left-wing political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925. But the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which separated from the CPI, claims that the party was founded in 1920.

To nationalise units of production and service in order to remove economic and social disparities.

To oppose both imperialism and capitalism which are the sources of all misery.

To align with socialist countries.

To improve the conditions of working class.

To preserve the cottage and scale industries.

To nationalise the wholesale trade in food grains and other important commodities.

• CPI(M) emerged out of a division within the Communist Party of India (CPI). The undivided CPI had experienced a period of upsurge during the years following the Second World War. The CPI led armed rebellions in Telangana, Tripura and Kerala. However, it soon abandoned the strategy of armed revolution in favour of working within the parliamentary framework. In 1950 B.T. Ranadive, the CPI general secretary and a prominent representative of the radical sector inside the party, was demoted on grounds of left-adventurism.

Right to Work to be made a Fundamental Right and unemployment allowance to be given to the unemployed.To establish economic equality with equal and fair wage structure for agricultural and industrial workers, uniformity at all levals.To nationalise all foreign investments and all monopolies. All foreign trade would be brought under public undertaking.

Religion- Separation of religion from politics.

To distribute the land of the big landlords among the landless workers.

Foreign Relations- Establish close relationship with the socialist countries and Russia and pull out of the Commonwealth to resist imperialism.

The party was founded in 1984 by Kanshi Ram. Due to his deteriorating health in the 1990s, former school teacher Mayawati became the party's de facto leader. The party's power grew quickly with seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and India's Lower House of Parliament. In 1993, following the assembly elections, Mayawati formed a coalition with Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav as Chief Minister. In mid-1995, she withdrew support to his government, which led to a major incident where Mulayam Singh Yadav was accused of keeping her party legislator's hostage to try to break her party. Since this, they have regarded each other publicly as chief rivals. Mayawati then sought the support of the BJP to become Chief Minister on June 3, 1995. In October 1995 the BJP withdrew support to her and fresh elections were called after President's Rule.

• NCP was formed on 25 May 1999, by Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma, and Tariq Anwar after they were expelled from the Indian National Congress (INC) on 20 May 1999, for disputing the right of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi to lead the party. At the time of formation, the party also absorbed Indian Congress (Socialist), which traced its origins to anti-coalition partner in the state ofMaharashtra in alliance with INC.

Strengthening the forces of nationalism. Maintaining the unity and integrity of India

by strengthening federalism and decentralisation of power up to the village level.

Promoting economic growth through competition, self-reliance, individual initiative and enterprise wid emphasis on equality and social justice.

Founded by C.N. Annadurai in 1962.Election Symbol: Rising Sun

The DMK in 1971 spilt into two units. The unit led by M.G. Ramachandran came to be called as All India Anna DMK.

Election symbol: Two Leaves

• Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T. Rama Rao ("NTR") on March 29, 1982, as an alternative to the ruling Congress Party in the state.

• In the 8th Lok Sabha 1984, it was the second largest party with 39 members.

• Akali Dal was formed on December 14, 1920 as a task force of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the Sikh religious body.

• The Akali Dal considers itself the principal representative of Sikhs. Sardar Sarmukh Singh Chubbal was the first president of a unified proper Akali Dal, but it was under Master Tara Singh that Akali Dal became a force to reckon with.

• The party launched the Punjabi Suba movement to create a Sikh majority state in the undivided East Punjab under the leadership of Sant Fateh Singh. In 1966, the modern-day East Punjab was formed, but its division led to bitter conflict.

• Akali Dal came to power in Punjab, but many times the party's governments were dismissed by the Indian National Congress ruling at the federal level.

Appointed Election Commission: its members are appointed by the President of India. They are free from the control of the Executive like the judge.The Election Commission: makes all arrangement in time . Appoints officials to supervise the conduct of elections.Voter Identity Cards: have made it easy to make away wid fake votersAppeals where, applicable , can be forwarded to Election Commission. courts can be moved for redressal grievances.

Since some ppl are illiterate in India, the Election Commission gives an election symbol so that all ppl can recognise these symbols and vote for the party of their choice.