Money and muscle power
Topic: Political Parties, Party Systems and Anti-defection · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 4 "Political Parties"
Meaning
Money and muscle power is one of the four challenges that Class 10 lists for political parties. "Money power" means that rich people, or people who can raise large funds, get party tickets. Big donors can then sway the policies a party follows. "Muscle power" means parties back candidates with criminal links because those candidates can win. This weakens democracy, because wealth and force start to count for more than ideas or service.
Example
To check this, candidates must now file affidavits listing their assets and any criminal cases against them. Class 10 points out a gap, though: no one checks whether these affidavits are true. So a candidate with criminal cases can still get a ticket and win.
Don't confuse with
- Dynastic succession: top party posts stay inside one family. Money and muscle power is about wealth and criminals deciding who gets tickets, not family ties.