Describe any five major functions of political parties

Describe any four functions of political parties in India.
OR
Describe any five major functions of political parties.

The Political Parties Perform the Following Main Functions:

  • Parties contest elections: In most democracies, elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by political parties. Parties select their candidates in different ways.
  • Parties put forward different policies and programmes: Political parties in a democracy group together on similar opinions to provide a direction in which government policies can be formulated by the government. A party reduces a vast multitude of opinions into a few basic positions which it supports. A government is expected to base its policies on the line taken by the ruling party.
  • Parties make laws: Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country. Formally, laws are debated and passed in the legislatures. The members belong to a party, they go by the direction of the party leadership, irrespective of their personal opinion.
  • Parties form and run governments: The big policy decisions are taken by political executive that comes from the political parties. Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers to run the government in the way they want.
  • The parties that lose in the elections, play the role of the opposition to the parties in power by voicing different views and criticising government for its failures or wrong policies.
  • Parties shape public opinion: They raise and highlight issues and resolve public problems. Sometimes parties launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people.
  • Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes: For an ordinary’ citizen, it is easy to approach a local party leader than a government officer. Parties have to he responsive to people’s needs and demands.