Final Chapter 6

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Political Parties71Chapter 6OverviewIn this tour of democracy, we have come across political parties severaltimes. In Class IX, we noticed the role of political parties in the rise ofdemocracies, in the formation of constitutional designs, in electoralpolitics and in the making and working of governments. In thistextbook, we have glanced at political parties as vehicles of federalsharing of political power and as negotiators of social divisions inthe arena of democratic politics. Before concluding this tour, let ustake a close look at the nature and working of political parties,especially in our country. We begin by asking two common questions:Why do we need parties? How many parties are good for a democracy?In the light of these, we introduce the national and regional politicalparties in today s India and then look at what is wrong with politicalparties and what can be done about Parties2015-16(19/01/2015)72Democratic PoliticsWhy do we need political parties?

government machiner y and w elfar e schemes implemented b y gov er nments . For an ordinary citizen it is easy to approach a local party leader than a government of ficer . T hat is w hy, the y f eel close to parties even when they do not fully trust them. Parties have to be responsive to people’s needs and demands. Otherwise people can r eject

  Government