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6. POLITICAL PARTIESCONCEPT

What is a Political Party?A political party is a group of people who come

together to contest elections and hold power in thegovernment.

It mobilises voters to support common sets ofinterests, concerns and goals.

A political party fixes the political agenda andpolicies and tries to persuade people by claimingtheir policies are better than those of other parties.

A political party is the means through whichpeople can speak to the government and have a sayin the governance of any country.

A political party has three components : (i) theleaders (ii) the active members (iii) the followers.

FunctionsParties contest elections by putting up

candidates.

In some countries, candidates are selected bymembers and supporters of a party (eg., USA).

In other countries, candidates are chosen by topparty leaders — eg., India.

Parties have different policies and programmes,voters choose from them. In a democracy a largenumber of people with similar opinions grouptogether and form a party and then give a direction tothe policies followed by the government.

The parties that lose elections form theopposition and voice different views and criticisegovernment for its failures. They mobilise oppositionto the government.

They shape public opinion. Parties with the helpof pressure groups launch movements for solvingproblems faced by the people.

They provide people access to governmentmachinery and welfare schemes. The local partyleader acts as a link between the citizen and thegovernment officer.

Need for Political PartiesThat democracies cannot exist without politicalparties is clear from the functions they perform.If there were no political parties then :

(i) All candidates in an election would becomeindependent candidates. They cannot promiseany major policy change to the people. No onewill be responsible for how the country is run.

(ii) In large societies, only representative democracycan work. Political parties become an agency togather different views on various issues andpresent them to the government.

Party SystemThere are three types of party systems :

(i) One-Party System (ii) Two-Party System and(iii) Multi-Party System.

(i) One-Party System : There is no competition inthis system. The lone party nominates thecandidates and the voters have only two choices— (i) Not to vote at all or (ii) write ‘yes’ or ‘no’against the name of the candidates nominated bythe party. This system has been popular inCommunist countries and other authoritarianregimes e.g., China, North Korea and Cuba. Thissystem was also prevalent in USSR tillCommunism collapsed.

(ii) In a Two-Party System power shifts betweentwo major, dominant parties. In this system towin elections, the winner has to get maximumnumber of votes, but not necessarily a majorityof votes. The smaller parties usually merge withthe bigger parties or they drop out of elections.This parliamentary system prevails in GreatBritain and Canada, in which only two partieshold significant numbers of seats. Supporters ofthis system believe that this prevents dangers offragmentation (too many parties winning seatsfrom different constituencies) and thegovernment can run smoothly.

(iii) Multi-Party System is the most common type ofparty system.In this system, three or more parties have the

capacity to gain control of the government separatelyor in coalition.

When no party gains a majority of thelegislative seats in multi-party parliamentary system,then several parties join forces and form a coalitiongovernment. Supporters of this system point out that

Assignments in Social Science Class X (Term II)

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it allows more points of views to be represented inthe government. Critics of this system point out thatmulti-party system, sometimes, leads to politicalinstability.An Alliance

When several parties in a multi-party system joinhands for the purpose of contestingelections and winning power, it is called analliance or a front. India in 2004 had three suchAlliances for parliamentary elections : (i)

National Democratic Alliance (ii) The UnitedProgressive Alliance and (iii) Left Front.

Proportion of Participation— Level of participation in the activities of the

parties – very high in India.— Advanced countries like Canada, Japan, Spain

and South Korea – much less.— People in India who feel close to a political party

— membership of political parties has also goneup.

Political Parties in India

National Parties State Parties or Federalist Parties

Difference between a National Party and aRegional Party

A National Party has influence all over thecountry or in many states of India. Theinfluence of a state party is in a state or a fewregions.

National parties care for national interests,whereas regional parties promote mainlyregional interests. For example, the DMK orAIADMK.

Regional parties stand for greater autonomy forthe states. The national parties, on the other hand,have to harmonise various conflicting regionalinterests.

An exclusive symbol such as (lotus or hand) isreserved for a national party throughout India. But incase of a regional party, a symbol for it is reservedfor it in the state in which it is recognised.Election Commission

Every party in India has to register with theElection Commission. The Commission treatsevery party as equal to the others, but it offersspecial facilities to large and established parties.They are given a unique symbol and are called,“recognised political parties.”

Introduction to Major Political Parties in India1. Indian National Congress (INC)

Founded in 1885, it led the movement forindependence. After independence it became freeIndia’s premier political party. In the first fiveGeneral Elections held, the Congress virtuallycontrolled the politics of the country. It lost theelections in 1977 following the Emergency rule.

It made a comeback in 1980 under Indira Gandhiwith a massive victory and reached its peak inthe election of 1984. After 1991, the Congresswas on the decline and BJP rose in power. In theelections held in May 2004, the Congressemerged as the winner with the help of its allies.It formed a coalition government called theUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA). In itsmanifesto, it projected a vision of a politicallyunited, economically prosperous, socially justand culturally harmonious India.

2. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)Created in 1980, it champions the socio-religiousvalues of the Hindu majority of India,conservative social policies, and strong nationaldefence. Since its formation, the BJP has been astrong rival of the Indian National Congress. Ithas allied itself with regional parties to challengethe Congress party, which dominated Indianpolitics for 40 years. The BJP’s rallying cry is“Hindutva”. It wants full territorial integration ofJammu and Kashmir with India and a uniformcivil code. The BJP, in alliance with several otherparties, led the Government of India between1998 and 2004. It is now the recognisedOpposition, and the leading party within theNational Democratic Alliance (NDA).

3. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)The Bahujan Samaj Party is a party formed torepresent the OBC, SC, ST and religiousminorities, those at the bottom of India’s castesystem. The BSP was formed in 1984 by twoleaders, Kanshiram and Mayawati. The mainbase of the party is in Uttar Pradesh. It also has

If a political party fulfils the criteria underElection Symbols (Reservation) Order1968 in more than four states, it is deemed tobe a National Party.

A political party recognised in less thanfour states is a State Party in the state orstates in which it is recognised.

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a substantial following in Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Punjab. Itdraws inspiration from the teachings of SahuMaharaj, Mahatma Phule and PeriyarRamaswami Naicker. The BSP also drawsinspiration from the teachings of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar.

4. Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI–M)The Communist Party of India (Marxist), usuallyknown as CPI (M), split fromthe Communist Party of India in 1964. It isstrongest in the states of Kerala, West Bengaland Tripura as of 2006.It believes in Marxism-Leninism and supportssocialism, secularism and democracy. Itopposes imperialism and communalism. Itssupporters are farmers, agricultural labourers andintelligentsia. In West Bengal CPI(M) hasenjoyed power, without a break, for 33 years.

5. Communist Party of India (CPI)It was formed in 1925, believes in Marxism-Leninism, secularism and democracy. It isopposed to the forces of communalism andsecessionism. It believes that parliamentarydemocracy helps the interests of farmers, theworking class, and the poor. The split in the partyin 1964, and the formation of CPI (M) made itsposition weak. It has following in the states ofKerala, West Bental, Punjab, Andhra Pradeshand Tamil Nadu. It aims and propagates unity

and coming together of all left parties to form aUnited Left Front.

6. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)It was formed on May 25, 1999, by SharadPawar, P.A. Sangama, and Tariq Anwar afterthey were thrown out of the Congress Party.They had objected to a person of foreign originbecoming the Prime Minister of India. The NCPclaims that it supports democracy, Gandhiansecularism, equity, social justice and federalism.

STATE PARTIES— All parties, other than the six national parties, are

classified as state parties by the ElectionCommission of India. They are also calledregional parties.

— They can be all-India parties but have beensuccessful only in some states. Examples;Samajwadi Party, Samata Party, Rashtriya JanataDal. They have national level politicalorganisations.

— Some like the Biju Janata Dal, SikkimDemocratic Front, Mizo National Front havestate identites. In the last years, no national partyhas been able to secure majority on its own in theLok Sabha. The national parties have beencompelled to form alliances with state parties.This has led to coalition governments in theCentre since 1966.

— This has strengthened federalism and democracyin our country.

Challenges Faced By Political Parties↓

↓Lack of internaldemocracy withinparties

● Power concentrated inthe hands of a few.

● No organisationalmeetings. No keeping ofmembership register.

● No internal, regularelections.

● Ordinary members donot have access toinformation, cannotinfluence decisions.

● Disagreement with theleader leads to ousterfrom the party.

↓Dynastic succession

● Leaders on top haveunfair advantage tofavour people closeto them or familymembers.

● Top positionscontrolled by familymembers in mostparties.

● Bad for democracy● Tendency seen all over

the world, even in theolder democracies.

↓Money and musclepower

● During elections thispower is very visible

● Candidates who canraise money arenominated.

● Rich people andcompanies who givefunds have influenceon policies.

↓Parties do not offer ameaningful choice tothe voters. There is notmuch difference inideology amongparties. Example :Labour Party andConservative Party ofBritain. They onlydiffer on details ofimplementation ratherthan fundamentalprinciples.

● In India also there isnot much differenceamong parties oneconomic issues.

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Effort Made to Reform the Political PartiesThe Constitution was amended to preventdefection. Now the MPs and MLAs will losetheir seat in the Parliament if they defect.The Supreme Court passed certain orders toreduce the power of money and criminals.A candidate has to file an affidavit giving details

of his property and criminal cases pendingagainst him.The Election Commission — Political partiesare asked to fill their income tax returns. Theyhave to hold organisational elections.

ASSIGNMENTS FOR SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

I. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (1 mark)

A. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

↓Compulsory to regulate internalpolitics, hold open elections,maintain registers, follow itsown constitution. Have anindependent judge in partydisputes.

↓Mandatory to give minimumparty tickets, (about 1/3) towomen, should be a quota forwomen in decision makingbodies of the party.

↓There should be state funding,government should give a grantto political parties to supportelection expenses, eg. petrol,paper, telephones.

Suggestions Given to Parties for Reform|

↓People can put pressure on political parties,through petitions, publicity and agitations.Media pressure groups and ordinary peoplecan play their part.

↓Political parties can reform if people who wantreforms join them. The more the people participate,the better parties will function. Criticism fromoutside is not enough, bad politics can be solved bygood politics.

Two other ways|

1. Which of these statements is incorrect?(a) Parties reflect fundamental political unity in

a society(b) Parties try to persuade people why their

policies are better than others(c) They seek to implement these policies by

winning popular support through elections(d) All the above

2. Parties put forward their _____ and _____and the voters choose from them.(a) policies, programmes(b) rules, regulations(c) views, opinions (d) all the above

3. Political parties exercise power through whichof these functions?(a) Parties contest elections(b) They play a decisive role in making laws for

a country(c) They form and run governments(d) All the above

4. Who chooses the candidates for contestingelections in India?(a) Members and supporters of the party(b) Top party leadership(c) The existing government(d) None of these

5. When was Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPI-M) formed?(a) 1952 (b) 1954 (c) 1962 (d) 1964

6. Which of these statements is incorrect aboutCPI (M)?(a) Supports socialism, secularism and democracy(b) Opposes imperialism and communalism(c) Wants to secure socio-economic justice in

India(d) None of the above

7. In which of these states does CPI (M) enjoystrong support?(a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Andhra Pradesh(c) West Bengal (d) Chhattisgarh

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8. Fill in the blank.An ______ is a signed document submited to anofficer, where a person makes a sworn statementregarding his/her personal information.(a) affidavit (b) declaration(c) agreement (d) appeal

9. Which of these statements is correct?(a) Every party in the country has to register with

the Election Commission(b) The Commission treats all the parties equally(c) It offers some special facilities to large and

established parties(d) All the above

10. How many parties are registered with theElection Commission of India?(a) 250 (b) 300(c) more than 750 (d) 500

11. Which of these countries has a one-partysystem?(a) India (b) China(c) USA (d) UK

12. Which of these is not a good option for ademocratic state?(a) One-party system (b) Two-party system(c) Multi-party system (d) None of the above

13. Which of these countries are the examples oftwo-party system?(a) USA (b) UK(c) India (d) Both (a) and (b)

14. Which of these alliances were there in the 2004parliamentary elections in India?(a) National Democratic Alliance(b) The United Progressive Alliance(c) Left Front (d) All the above

15. Those parties which are given the specialprivilege of ‘election symbol’ and otherfacilities are said to be :(a) ‘identified’ by the Election Commission(b) ‘recognised’ by the Election Commission(c) ‘patronised’ by the Election Commission(d) ‘attached’ by the Election Commission

16. Which party is recognised as a ‘State party’?

(a) A party that secures 6% of total votes in theAssembly election

(b) A party that secures at least 6% of the totalvotes in an election to the State Assemblyand wins at leat 2 seats

(c) A party that wins 4 seats in the Assemblyelection

(d) None of the above17. How many recognised national parties were

there in 2006?(a) 5 (b) 6 (c) 7 (d) 8

18. In which of these categories can Congress beput?(a) Centrist party (b) Rightist party(c) Leftist party (d) None of the above

19. When was BJP founded?(a) 1960 (b) 1970 (c) 1980 (d) 1990

20. The BJP formed the government in 1998 as aleader of an alliance. Name the alliance.(a) National Democratic Alliance(b) United Progressive Alliance(c) National Progressive Alliance(d) United Democratic Alliance

21. When and under whose leadership wasBahujan Samaj Party (BSP) formed?(a) 1982, Mayawati (b) 1984, Kanshi Ram(c) 1985, Mulayam Singh Yadav(d) 1986, Bhajanlal

22. From the ideas and teaching of which of theseleaders does BSP draw inspiration?(a) Sahu Maharaj(b) Mahatma Phule and Ramaswami Naicker(c) Babasaheb Ambedkar(d) All the above

23. In which state does NCP have a majorsupport?(a) Maharashtra (b) Meghalaya(c) Manipur (d) Assam

24. Which of these parties have national levelpolitical organisations?(a) Samajwadi Party (b) Telugu Desam Party(c) Rashtriya Janata Dal(d) None of the above

B. QUESTIONS FROM CBSE EXAMINATION PAPERS

1. Which one of the following is not a componentof a political party ? [2011 (T-2)](a) The leaders (b) The followers(c) The active members (d) Women

2. Which one of the following is true regardinga coalition government ? [2011 (T-2)]

(a) Only two parties form an alliance and contestelections.

(b) Several parties compete for power.(c) The government is formed by two or more

parties coming together.(d) Several parties form an alliance and compete

for power.

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3. Which one of the following is not trueregarding the government order that makes itmandatory for an election candidate to declarehis details in an affidavit ? [2011 (T-2)](a) It aims at reducing the influence of criminals

in politics.(b) It gives details of existing property and

criminal cases pending against a candidate.(c) It aims at reducing the influence of money in

politics.(d) The Election Commission checks these details

and cancels the nomination papers ofsuspected criminals or if the information isfalse.

4. Which one of the following is a better way ofcarrying out political reforms in a democraticcountry? [2011 (T-2)](a) The Legal changes(b) The Constitutional changes(c) The empowerment of people(d) The legislation for reforms

5. Which one of the following is the guidingphilosophy of the Bharatiya Janata Party ?

[2011 (T-2)](a) Bahujan Samaj(b) Revolutionary democracy(c) Cultural nationalism (d) Modernity

6. The condition for a political party to berecognized as a national party is :[2011 (T-2)](a) It must secure at least 6 of total votes in Lok

Sabha elections or Assembly elections in fourstates.

(b) It must win at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha(c) Both of these(d) None of these

7. An alliance is formed when : [2011 (T-2)](a) two parties together form the government(b) the state parties and national parties together

form the government(c) some parties join for the purpose of contesting

elections and winning power in hands(d) left and right parties join hands to form the

government.8. Who is the founder of the Bahujan Samaj

Party ? [2011 (T-2)](a) Kansi Ram (b) Mayawati(c) Bal Thakeray (d) Jayalalita

9. Which country has a Bi-party system ?[2011 (T-2)]

(a) India (b) Pakistan(c) China (d) Bangladesh

10. Which one of the following is not a politicalparty ? [2011 (T-2)](a) BJP (b) INC (c) BSP (d) BAMCEF

11. Which of the following countries has a singleparty system ? [2011 (T-2)](a) Pakistan (b) Nepal(c) China (d) Bangladesh

12. Who among the following gives recognition topolitical parties in India ? [2011 (T-2)](a) Speaker of Lok Sabha(b) President of India(c) Supreme Court (d) Election Commission

13. Which one of the following countries hasmultiparty system? [2011 (T-2)](a) India (b) China(c) The United States of America(d) The United Kingdom

14. The USA and UK are examples of :[2011 (T-2)]

(a) One party system (b) Two party system(c) Three party system (d) Multi party system

15. Partisan means : [2011 (T-2)](a) Party which runs the government(b) Affair of the state or the science of

government(c) A person who is strongly committed to a party(d) A group of people who come together to

promote common beliefs16. Which one of the following is not a national

political party ? [2011 (T-2)](a) Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).(b) Communist Party of India (CPI).(c) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).(d) Samajwadi Party (SP).

17. What is the guiding philosophy of theBharatiya Janata Party ? [2011 (T-2)](a) Wants to build a strong and modern India.(b) Uniform Civil Code(c) Cultural nationalism(d) All the above

18. Which one of the following political partieswants to build a strong and modern India bydrawing inspiration from India’s ancientculture and values ? [2011 (T-2)](a) Indian National Congress(b) Communist Party of India-Marxist(c) Bahujan Samaj Party(d) Bharatiya Janata Party

19. Which one of the following political partiesexpouses secularism and welfare of weakersections and minorities ? [2011 (T-2)]

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(a) Communist Party of India-Marxist(b) Bahujan Samaj Party(c) Bharatiya Janata Party(d) Indian National Congress

20. The Bahujan Samaj Party stands for the causeof : [2011 (T-2)](a) securing the interest of the oppressed people.(b) securing the interest of the elite class.

(c) securing the interest of the capitalist class.(d) securing the interest of the educated classes.

21. A country which has a democratic form ofGovernment since its independence :

[2011 (T-2)](a) Pakistan (b) India(c) Bhutan (d) Nepal

II. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (3 marks)

A. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

1. Why do we need political parties?2. Mention the factors which led to the rise of

political parties.3. ‘No system is ideal for all countries and all

situations.’ Explain.4. ‘The rise of regional parties has led to

strengthening of federalism and democracy inour country.’ Do you agree with the opinion?Why/why not?

5. Suggest some reforms to strengthen parties sothat they perform their functions well.

6. Describe some of the recent attempts (and theiroutcome) to reform political parties.

7. How has multi-party system strengtheneddemocracy in India.

8. In India, some political parties are blamed forfollowing dynastic succession, which is againstthe spirit of democracy. Is it correct? Givereasons for your views.

B. QUESTIONS FROM CBSE EXAMINATION PAPERS

1. Why is there lack of internal democracy withinthe political parties in India? Explain withexamples. (2008)

2. Describe any four functions of political parties inIndia. (2008)

3. Mention different types of party systems. Writeone merit of each ? Which party systems do wehave in India. [2011 (T-2)]

4. Mention any two challenges faced by politicalparties in India. Give two suggestions that canhelp reform the functioning of political partiesand its members. [2011 (T-2)]

5. State any two advantage of the multipartysystem. In what way is an alliance different forma coalition Government ? [2011 (T-2)]

6. Describe any four functions of political parties.7. In which four ways has multi-party system

strengthened democracy in India ? Explain.8. “Political parties are necessary for a democracy”.

In the light of this statement explain any fourfunctions of the political parties in India.

[2011 (T-2)]9. What is a Political Party ? Highlight any three

functions of parties in a democracy. [2011 (T-2)]10. Explain any two reforms implemented in our

country to improve the political parties.[2011 (T-2)]

11. Describe any four functions of political parties.12. Why can’t modern democracies exist without the

political parties ? Explain any four reasons.[2011 (T-2)]

13. Explain the four major challenges faced bypolitical parties in the modern era. [2011 (T-2)]

14. ‘The elimination of the flaws of the politicalparties, seems difficult but not impossible’.

III. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (4 marks)A. IMPORATANT QUESTIONS

1. State the functions political parties perform in ademocracy.

2. Describe various challenges faced by politicalparties.

3. ‘The multi-party system often appears very

messy and leads to political instability.’Comment.

4. What are the characteristics of a political party?5. Political parties play a major role in democracy.

Give four points to justify this statement.

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Justify the statement with the help of any foursuggestions. [2011 (T-2)]

15. Explain in four different manners that politicalparties are still in the grip of some seriouschallemges. [2011 (T-2)]

16. “Political parties play a major role indemocracy”. Explain four points to justify thisstatement. [2011 (T-2)]

17. In which four ways can the political reformsmade in India strengthen political parties.

18. Describe any four characteristics of a politicalparty. [2011 (T-2)]

19. Explain any four characteristics of a politicalparty. [2011 (T-2)]

20. What is the criteria laid down by the ElectionCommission in order to be recognized as a stateparty and national party. [2011 (T-2)]

ASSIGNMENTS FOR FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

I. PROJECT

Topic covered : Indian National Congress (INC)(after Independence)Objective : To understand the evolution of IndianNational Congress as a centrist party; how it hasplayed a dominant role in Indian politics after India’sindependence.Skills developed : To gain an insight into thefunctioning of national parties in Indian political set-up.Time required : 2-3 daysMethod : (a) Trace the evolution and rise of INCfrom 1947 onwards under the leadership of

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi andSonia Gandhi.(b) Describe the general elections to the Lok Sabha,the INC won and lost–the causes and consequences.(c) Explain how its ideological orientation as acentrist party has enabled it to rule our country for somany decades; how and why other political partieslike the CPI, CPI(M) and BJP failed to win electionsconsistently at national and state level.(d) Describe briefly the ‘rise’ and ‘fall’ of regionalparties in India.(e) In conclusion, give your views regarding thefuture of INC in India.

II. ACTIVITIES(1) As mentioned in your textbook, political parties

perform seven major functions. Categorise thefollowing photographs by the functions theyillustrate. Mention the type of function beloweach photograph. Collect photographs (fromnewspapers, Internet, other sources) illustratingremaining four functions of political parties.Hint : The first photograph shows demonstration

against hike in prices of onion and LPG; in thesecond picture, a minister distributes rupees onelakh cheque to the hooch victims; the thirdphotograph shows activists of political partiestaking out a rally to protest against a foreigncompany for being permitted to export iron orefrom Orissa to feed steel plants in China andKorea.

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(2) It is often said that political parties are facing acrisis because they are very unpopular and thecitizens are indifferent to them. Do you agree?

Collect data and evidences to support ordisapprove this view. Talk to your parents, abureaucrat, a prominent politician to ascertaintheir views.

III. ASSIGNMENTS(1) As you have read in the textbook, there are four

major challenges that are faced by politicalparties. Out of these four challenges, two are

illustrated in the cartoons given below. Identifythese challenges and write a few lines aboutthem.

(2) As you might have read in newspapers,Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank hestarted jointly, received the Nobel peace prize for2006, for their pioneering efforts at grassroot level.Later on he decided to launch a political party.Do you think he was right in making such adecision? Do you think leaders of pressuregroups and movements should seek politicalpower? How do you want the party (Nagarik

Shakti) launched by Mr. Yunus, organised tomake it different? Do you want to join a politicalparty? Why/why not? Explain your views.

(3) How can political parties be reformed? This is amillion dollar question! Make two lists – onementioning recent efforts and measures taken inour country to reform political parties and itsleaders; and second mentioning suggestions oftenmade to reform political parties. Mention youropinion regarding reforming our political system.

IV. DEBATEOrganise a debate on the topic ‘Reforming ourpolitical parties and leaders’. Each studentshould be given only five minutes to speak on

the topic. [Note : The class teacher should helpparticipants to prepare the speech on political reformsby discussing the topic in detail in the classroom.]

V. GROUP DISCUSSIONMost of the people are fed up with politicalparties. We want our political system to bereformed. Some political scientists havesuggested that instead of endeavouring to reformour political system, we should reform thesociety and ourselves because after all political

leaders come from the society and are chosen byus. Whom do you agree with?Divide the class in groups of ten students andorganise a group discussion on the topic ‘Insteadof trying to reform our political system, weshould try to reform the society and the people.’

VI. MAKING A POSTER / COLLAGEMake two posters – one containing pictures ofsymbols of national parties and anothercontaining pictures of symbols of regionalparties of India. Below each symbol, mention the

name of the party, date of founding, its ideologicalorientation, its leaders and its current status (inwhich states are these in government/whether theyare a part of the Union government at present).