How Can Parties Be Reformed?
Investigate various suggestions and measures aimed at reforming political parties and their leaders, such as the anti-defection law and the requirement for candidates to file affidavits.
TL;DR:How can we ensure that the political parties meant to serve us are themselves healthy and democratic? This lesson explores the critical challenge of cleaning up politics in India.
About This Topic
This topic, 'How Can Parties Be Reformed?', is a crucial component of the Class 10 Political Science curriculum, falling under the broader study of 'Political Parties'. It moves beyond the descriptive understanding of what parties are and what they do, towards a more critical and analytical perspective on the challenges facing Indian democracy. The NCERT framework encourages students to engage with the real-world problems plaguing political parties, such as the lack of internal democracy, the increasing role of money and muscle power, and dynastic succession. This lesson directly addresses these issues by examining concrete reform measures.
The core of the topic revolves around evaluating the efforts made to clean up politics. Key legislative and judicial interventions like the 52nd Amendment Act (Anti-Defection Law) and the Supreme Court's mandate for candidates to file affidavits are central case studies. Teachers should guide students to not just learn the provisions of these reforms but to critically assess their effectiveness and unintended consequences. The goal is to foster an understanding that political reform is a continuous and complex process, requiring sustained effort from citizens, institutions like the Election Commission, and the judiciary, rather than a one-time solution.
Key Questions
- Explain the purpose and functioning of the anti-defection law.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the Supreme Court's order on filing affidavits in reducing the influence of money and criminals in politics.
- Justify two additional reforms that you believe could improve the functioning of political parties in India.
Learning Objectives
- Explain the major challenges faced by political parties in India, such as lack of internal democracy and the role of money power.
- Analyse the purpose, key provisions, and limitations of the Anti-Defection Law.
- Evaluate the impact of the Supreme Court's order mandating the filing of affidavits by electoral candidates.
- Propose and justify various suggestions for reforming political parties and their leaders.
- Describe the role of the Election Commission and citizen movements in promoting political reform.
Key Vocabulary
| Defection | The act of an elected representative leaving the political party on whose ticket they were elected to join another party. |
| Affidavit | A signed, sworn statement made before an authorised official, in which an electoral candidate declares details of their assets, liabilities, educational qualifications, and criminal cases. |
| Political Funding | The process by which political parties raise money for their campaigns, organisational activities, and other expenses. |
| Internal Democracy | The practice of democratic principles within a political party, including regular membership registration, organisational elections, and transparent decision-making. |
| Representation of the People Act | The law enacted by the Indian Parliament that governs the conduct of elections and lays down the qualifications and disqualifications for Members of Parliament and State Legislatures. |
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionThe Anti-Defection Law completely stops MPs and MLAs from changing parties.
What to Teach Instead
The law only penalises individual legislators for 'defecting' after being elected. It does not apply if a large group (at least two-thirds of the party's legislators) decides to merge with another party. It also doesn't stop politicians from changing parties before an election.
Common MisconceptionThe Election Commission can remove any politician with a criminal record from an election.
What to Teach Instead
The Election Commission cannot bar someone from contesting merely on the basis of pending criminal cases. A person is disqualified from contesting only upon conviction for certain offences for a specified period. The affidavit system is for transparency, not disqualification.
Common MisconceptionAll money used in elections is now accounted for and transparent.
What to Teach Instead
While measures like expenditure limits and affidavits have increased transparency, parties still find ways to use unaccounted funds. The influence of 'black money' in elections remains a significant challenge, and the source of a large portion of party funds is often unclear to the public.
Active Learning Ideas
See all activities→Collaborative Problem-Solving
The Reformers' Debate
Divide the class into groups, each representing a different stakeholder: Election Commission, a national party, a regional party, and a citizen's group. Each group debates the pros and cons of a proposed reform, like state funding of elections or stricter laws on internal party elections.
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Analyse an Affidavit
Students are given a real (anonymised) affidavit of a political candidate. In pairs, they analyse the information provided on assets, liabilities, and criminal cases, and then discuss if this information would influence their voting decision.
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Draft a Law
In small groups, students draft a simple one-page bill to address a specific problem, for example, 'A Bill to Ensure Internal Democracy in Political Parties'. They must outline the objective, key provisions, and a mechanism for enforcement.
Real-World Connections
- Analysing news reports about MLAs switching parties during a government formation or crisis in any Indian state.
- Using the Election Commission of India's website or apps like 'Voter Helpline' to look up the affidavits of candidates during local, state, or national elections.
- Following discussions and debates in the media about the role of the Election Commission in ensuring a 'level playing field' for all parties.
- Discussing the impact of dynastic politics by identifying prominent political families at the national or state level.
- Participating in or organising a mock election in school to understand the practical challenges of campaigning and voting.
Assessment Ideas
A 'Think-Pair-Share' activity where students are given a short case study of a political defection and asked to decide if it violates the law and why.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper suggesting the single most important reform needed to improve political parties in India, justifying the choice with evidence and examples.
Students complete a K-W-L (Know, Want to know, Learned) chart about political reforms at the beginning and end of the topic to track their own learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a candidate provides false information in their affidavit?
Who has the final say in disqualifying a member under the Anti-Defection Law?
Why don't we just have the government pay for all election expenses to stop corruption?
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