Political party
Topic: Political Parties, Party Systems and Anti-defection · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 5 "Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System"; Class 9, Ch 6 "Democracy"; Class 9, Ch 7 "Elections"; Class 10, Ch 4 "Political Parties"
Meaning
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in government. They agree on some policies for the collective good of society and try to convince people that their policies are better than others'. A party has three parts: leaders, active members and followers. Large democracies need parties. Without them, no one could promise big policy changes or be held responsible for running the government.
Example
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. The BJP was formed in 1980 from the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1951). Both contest elections across India to win power. Even in panchayat polls held without parties, villages often split into rival "panels" that behave much like parties.
Don't confuse with
- Pressure group: it tries to influence policy without contesting elections. It also speaks for a narrower interest and answers to its own members, while a party answers to voters.