NIOS STD X 10TH, SOCIAL SCIENCE, Ch 21 political parties and pressure groups

1. Chapter-21 Political Parties and
Pressure Groups

2. Political party
• A Political party can be
described as an
organized group of people
who share common
principles and goals
in a political system.

3. Need for Political parties
• 1. Democracies can function only when there
is a competitive political party system.
• 2. Political parties help in making the
institution of the government democratic.
• 3. They educate people and encourage them
to participate in the process of election and
• 4. Teach them to make the correct decisions.

5. Characteristics of a political party
• 1. A political party is an organized group of
people.
• 2. They share common principles and goals.
• 3. Their members share same views on
matters of public matters.
• 4. They try to seek control of the government
through the process of election.
• 5. They try to fulfil their promises to the
people through government actions.

6. Functions and roles of a political party
• 1. They nominate a candidate for elections.
• 2. They campaign to get support for their candidate in the elections.
• 3. If they are able to get the majority in the election they form the
government.
• 4. They try to fulfil their promises to the people through
government actions.
• 5. If they have not able to get the majority in the election they form
the opposition in the legislature and put pressure on the
government.
• 6. They help in the law making process the rough debates with the
members of the legislative.
• 7. They put the people’s demands in front of the government for
action.
• 8. They act as a link between the government and the people.
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7. Type of political party system in India
• The Indian party system is not
• a one –party system
• nor a bi-party system or
• a multiparty system
– because the national political parties depend upon
the regional political parties to stay in power at the
Centre.

8. Features of India’s party system
• 1. The party system has a multiplicity of political
parties competing to attain powers at the centre
and the state.
• 2. The regional parties have come to play an
important role in the formations of the
government in the centre.
• 3. Coalition government has become a feature of
our party system because no single party wins
the majority at the elections.
• 4. Due to coalition government the ideas of the
parties clash sometimes.

9. The kinds of political parties in India
• There are two kinds of political parties:-
• 1. National party: - Parties that have influence over the whole
country are called National Parties They have got 4% votes in at
least four states.
• For e.g.:- Bhartiya Janata party (BJP),
Indian National Congress (INC),
Nationalist Congress Party(NCP),
Communist party of India (CPI) etc.
• 2. Regional party: - Parties that are popular in a state and have
received certain amount of votes in a state are called regional
parties.
• For eg:- Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Telegu Desam in Andhra
Pradesh, Akali Dal in Punjab etc.

12. 1. The Indian National congress:
• Founded in Bombay in 1885.
• The Indian National Congress played a
leading role in India’s freedom struggle.
• It plays an important role in the centre
as well as the state.
• The congress party is committed to
– democracy, secularism and
socialism.
• It is open to
– privatization, liberalization and
globalization
It works for the welfare of the weaker
section of the society.

13. 2. The Bharatiya Janata Party:
• Founded in 1980.
• It plays an important role in
the centre as well as the
state.
• The Party stands for
– nationalism and national
integration,
– democracy, secularism,
– Gandhian socialism, and value
based politics.

14. 3. The Communist Parties:
• The major communist parties in India are
– the communist Party of India (CPI), founded in
Kanpur in 1925
– and the Marxist (CPI M) 1964.
• The Communist parties have been workers
and peasant parities.
• They are based on Marxism and Leninism.
• They stand for Socialism, Socialist
ownership of industries, agrarian reforms,
rural upliftment and self-reliant economy.
• They are opposed to capiltalism,
imperialism and globalization.

15. 4. The Bahujan Samaj Party :
• It was founded in 1984.
• It claims to be the party of the deprived
sections of the Indian society :
– the poor, landless, the unemployed and
the Dalit’s.
• It draws its ideas from the teachings of
– Sahu Maharaj,
– Jyotiba Phule, and
– Dr. Ambedkar.
• It works on the principle of
– Sarvajan Hitay,
– Sarvajan Sukhay.
• Kanshi Ram was the leader in the start.

16. 5. Regional Political Parties :
• Regional political parties rise to
fulfil regional requirements.
• They were popular in their own
states.
• They helped national political
parties to form coalition
governments at the centre.
• This has led to the centre trying
to solve the problems at the
state also.
All India Trinamool Congress:Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

17. Interest group

18. An interest group
• Interest groups are organized groups of people
who :
• 1. Are well organized
• 2. Have common interests
• 3. They seek to attain, protest and promote
their interests.

20. A pressure group
• A Pressure group is an interest group which exerts
pressure on the government for the fulfilment of
their interests.
• 1. Pressure groups are not political in nature.
• 2. They do not seek direct power.
• 3. They do not contest elections.
• 4. Their interest is specific and particular and not
national and international like the political parties.

21. Pressure group

23. Difference between pressure groups and
interest groups
• A Pressure group is an interest group which
exerts pressure on the government for the
fulfilment of their interests.
• Pressure groups are different from interest
groups as interest groups may exist without
even exerting pressure on the government.

24. Techniques used by the Pressure
groups
• Three ways used by the pressure groups to
exert pressure are:
– appeals,
– petitions and
– demonstrations.
• They also write in the media and publications.
• They carry out non-violent protests.
• At times they also resort to strikes and
boycott.

25. Roles of the Pressure groups
• The Pressure groups play an important role in a
democracy.
• 1. They help promote, discuss and debate public
opinion and public issues.
• 2. They educate people and widen their vision.
• 3. They help in bringing changes in public policies.
• 4. They research on issues and collect required
data’s.
• 5. They reach out to the people and provide a
channel to express their view.

26. few pressure groups in India.
• Traditional groups : E.g. Anglo-Indian
Christian Association
• Caste groups : E.g. Brahmin Sabha, Nair
Sabha.
• Language groups : Tamil Sangh
• Institutional groups: E.g. Civil Service
Association
• Civil Society organisations: E.g. Mazdoor Kisan
Shakti Sanghathan.

27. • Leaders Organisation
• Aruna Roy Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghathan
• Got the government to bring the law on
• ‘Right to information’
• Ela Bhatt Self employed Women’s Association(SEWA)
• Has influence the government to improve its
policies on the rights of women workers
• Anna Hazare India against corruption
• Medha Patkar Narmada Bachao Andolan.
• Apunba Lup North East state of Manipur – Students
organisation
• Meira Paibis North East state of Manipur – women’s group
• Irom Sharmila Wants the government to stop violence in her
state
• She has not eaten for 11 years she is forced-fed
through a tube.