Meaning of Political Parties

A political party is a collection of people who band together to run for office and control the government. All political parties have policies and programmes aimed at promoting the common good in society. They attempt to persuade individuals that their policies are superior to those of others. They hope to put their policies into effect by garnering popular support in elections. Political parties reflect a society’s underlying political divisions. All of the parties favour a particular segment of society, resulting in a partnership. 

The part a party represents, the policies it supports, and the interests it defends define it. Three elements make up a political party

• The decision-makers
• Active participants
• The adherents 

In a democracy, political parties are one of the most important institutions. For most people, democracy is synonymous with political parties. It is critical to understand the nature and operation of political parties. If we visit rural and distant places and conduct a survey, their understanding of the Constitution may be minimal, but they will undoubtedly be aware of political parties. 

However, knowledge of political parties does not always imply favourable attitudes toward them among the general public a result, the topic of whether political parties are essential in a democracy naturally arises in people’s minds. One of the most visible institutions in a democracy is political parties. To form a government, political parties are required. Candidates from several political parties compete in elections at the federal, state, and local levels. Political parties use internal methods to choose the candidates who will run in elections. Political parties develop policies and programmes and influence public opinion. After political parties win elections, they form governments and execute policies based on the manifestos of the winning parties. If political parties lose elections, they sit in opposition in Parliament or the state legislature, observing or criticizing the government’s policies and activities.