Question

What are the challenges to political parties?

Answer 1

• One major challenge is during elections there is a rising role of muscle power and money power in political parties.
• Candidates who can raise lots of money or those who have lots of money are usually nominated by the Political Parties.
• Political parties have supported many criminals for contesting elections.
• Short-cuts are used to win elections since parties’ sole focus is on winning elections.
• Decisions and policies of the political parties are usually influenced by organisations or rich people who give funds to the party.
• Lack of internal democracy within parties is a major challenge.
• A transparent and an open system of functioning is not followed by political parties, which prevents deserving party members from rising to the top.
• Relatives or people close to the leaders of the party are given favours which are unfair to other party workers.
• Members of just one family hold complete control in many parties. This is not fair to other members of that party.
• Hence people who do not have popular support or adequate experience get the positions of power which is unhealthy for a democracy.
• Across the globe, one can see that there is a growing concentration of power in the hands of few or just one leader.
• On what transpires inside the party, ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information.
• Ordinary members are unable to influence decisions as they lack sufficient connections.
• Decisions are taken in the name of the party, by leaders having more power.
• Parties do not conduct internal regular elections, organisational meetings are not conducted and do not maintain a register of the membership.
• Since too much of power is wielded by few leaders in the party, those who disagree with the leadership are unable to continue working in the party.
• Personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important than the loyalty to party policies and principles.
• Due to the system of succession due to dynasty in the political parties, ordinary and hardworking party members are unable to rise to the top.
• Across the world, due to a decline in the ideological differences among political parties, there is no significant difference, thereby reducing choice to the voters.
• Not giving meaningful choice to the voters is the fourth challenge that is often faced by political parties.