CBSE Class 10 · Political Parties

Challenges to Political Parties Class 10: Four Problem Areas

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Popular dissatisfaction with political parties focuses on four challenges: lack of internal democracy, with power concentrated in a few leaders; dynastic succession, where top posts stay within one family; the growing role of money and muscle power, especially in elections; and the lack of meaningful choice, as ideological differences between parties have declined.

Notice that all four challenges feed into one result: people's dissatisfaction with how political parties work.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Challenges to Political Parties

Why parties face criticism. Parties are the most visible face of democracy, so people blame them for whatever goes wrong. All over the world, people are dissatisfied with how parties perform their functions, and India is no exception. NCERT groups this criticism into four problem areas that parties must overcome to remain effective instruments of democracy.

1. Lack of internal democracy.

Worldwide, power tends to concentrate in one or a few leaders at the top.
Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
Ordinary members lack information about what happens inside and lack the means or connections to influence decisions.
Leaders make decisions in the party's name; those who disagree find it hard to continue.
Personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important than loyalty to party principles and policies.

2. Dynastic succession (related to the first).

Without open and transparent procedures, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top.
Leaders have an unfair advantage to favour people close to them or family members; in many parties top posts are always controlled by one family.
This is unfair to other members and bad for democracy, since people without adequate experience or popular support occupy positions of power.
The tendency exists in some measure all over the world, including some older democracies.

3. Money and muscle power.

Focused only on winning, parties take short-cuts: they nominate candidates who have or can raise lots of money.
Rich people and companies who fund parties tend to influence their policies and decisions.
In some cases parties support criminals who can win elections.
Democrats everywhere worry about the growing role of rich people and big companies in politics. (NCERT's cartoons: Berlusconi in Italy, a businessman-Prime Minister whose company owned TV channels, a publishing company, a football club and a bank; and a cartoon suggesting corporate America controls major institutions.)

4. Lack of meaningful choice.

To offer real choice, parties must be significantly different, but ideological differences have declined in most parts of the world.
Example: in Britain, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party differ very little; they agree on fundamentals and differ only in details of framing and implementing policies.
In India too, differences among major parties on economic policies have reduced, so those who want really different policies have no option.
Sometimes voters cannot even elect very different leaders, because the same leaders keep shifting from one party to another.

Link to reforms. These challenges lead to the next question: how can parties be reformed? (Anti-defection law, affidavits, internal elections, women's tickets, state funding and pressure from citizens are discussed in that topic.)

Challenges to Political Parties: key facts

Four challenges: Lack of internal democracy; dynastic succession; money and muscle power; lack of meaningful choice; Learn in this order.
Internal democracy failures: No membership registers, no organisational meetings, no regular internal elections; personal loyalty to leader over principles
Dynastic succession: Few ways for ordinary workers to rise; top posts in one family; unfair and bad for democracy (inexperienced leaders); Worldwide tendency.
Money and muscle: Rich candidates preferred; funders influence policy; criminals backed if they can win
Meaningful choice: Declining ideological differences (e.g., Labour vs Conservative in Britain; Indian parties on economic policy); leaders switch parties

How to answer Challenges to Political Parties questions

Questions ask you to name and explain the challenges, give examples, or identify a challenge from a case or cartoon. Each challenge needs a cause and a consequence.

1Name the challenge in NCERT's words.
2Explain how it arises (e.g., no internal elections; open procedures missing).
3State its consequence for members, voters or democracy.
4Use an NCERT example where possible (Britain's parties; Berlusconi cartoon).
5In case questions, match clues: family names (dynasty), donors and criminals (money and muscle), no registers or meetings (internal democracy), similar manifestos (choice).

Challenges to Political Parties in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Lack of meaningful choice

Suppose that in a town's municipal election, the three main parties' manifestos promise almost identical policies, and two of the leading candidates were in a different party at the last election.

Identify the challenge to political parties shown here and explain why it matters for voters.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Identify: lack of meaningful choice.
Manifestos differ only in details: declining ideological differences.
Leaders switching parties limits choice of leaders too.
Voters wanting really different policies have no option.

Answer: This shows the challenge of lack of meaningful choice. When parties' policies differ only in details, as NCERT says of Britain's Labour and Conservative parties and of Indian parties on economic policy, voters who want really different policies have no option. When the same leaders keep shifting parties, voters cannot even choose very different leaders.

Memory hook: Many parties, one menu: no real choice.

Tricks to remember Challenges to Political Parties

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

I-D-M-C
Internal democracy, Dynasty, Money and muscle, Choice: 'I Don't Mind Choices'.
Use it when: Listing the four challenges.
Three no's of internal democracy
No registers, no meetings, no elections.
Use it when: Explaining the first challenge.
Labour and Conservative look alike
Britain's two parties differ only in details.
Use it when: Example for meaningful choice.

Challenges to Political Parties: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Identify the challenge · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

When top positions in a party are always controlled by members of one family, the challenge is called:
(a) lack of internal democracy
(b) dynastic succession
(c) money and muscle power
(d) lack of meaningful choice

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Control by one family is dynastic succession (1 mark).

Answer: (b) dynastic succession

Example 2: Internal democracy (2 marks) · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

Explain 'lack of internal democracy' as a challenge to political parties. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Power is concentrated in one or a few top leaders; parties do not keep membership registers, hold organisational meetings or conduct regular internal elections (1 mark).
Ordinary members lack information and influence; dissenters find it hard to stay, and personal loyalty to the leader replaces loyalty to principles (1 mark).

Answer: Power is concentrated in a few top leaders, and parties do not keep membership registers, hold meetings or conduct regular internal elections. Ordinary members have little information or influence, dissenters find it hard to stay, and loyalty to the leader matters more than principles.

Example 3: Assertion-reason: dynasty and internal democracy · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): Dynastic succession is a challenge to political parties.
Reason (R): Since most parties lack open and transparent procedures, an ordinary worker has very few ways to rise to the top.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT links dynastic succession to the lack of open procedures; R explains A (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

Example 4: Four challenges (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

'Since parties are the most visible face of democracy, people blame them for whatever goes wrong.' Examine the four problem areas on which this dissatisfaction focuses, with the effect of each. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Lack of internal democracy: power concentrated in a few leaders; no registers, meetings or regular internal elections; members lack information and influence (1 mark).
Dynastic succession: few ways for ordinary workers to rise; top posts controlled by one family; unfair and brings inexperienced people to power (1 mark).
Money and muscle power: parties nominate candidates with money; funders influence policies; criminals backed if they can win (1 mark).
Lack of meaningful choice: ideological differences declining, as in Britain; in India differences on economic policy have reduced (1 mark).
Leaders keep shifting parties, so voters cannot even choose very different leaders; parties must overcome these to remain effective instruments of democracy (1 mark).

Answer: First, parties lack internal democracy: power is concentrated in a few top leaders, and there are no membership registers, regular meetings or internal elections, so ordinary members have little say and loyalty to the leader replaces principles. Second, dynastic succession: without open procedures, ordinary workers rarely rise, and top posts stay within one family, which is unfair and brings people without experience or popular support to power. Third, money and muscle power: parties nominate rich candidates, funders influence policy, and criminals who can win are sometimes supported. Fourth, parties offer little meaningful choice: their ideological differences have declined, and the same leaders keep switching parties.

Example 5: Case: the businessman-leader cartoon · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Read the case and answer the questions.

NCERT includes a cartoon titled 'Berlusconi Puppet Theatre'. Its caption explains that Berlusconi was the Prime Minister of Italy and also one of Italy's top businessmen, leader of the Forza Italia party founded in 1993. His company owned TV channels, the most important publishing company, a football club and a bank.

(i) Which country did Berlusconi lead? (1)
(ii) Which challenge to political parties does this cartoon highlight? (1)
(iii) Why are democrats worried when rich people and big companies gain influence in politics? (2)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) Italy (1 mark).
(ii) The growing role of money (money and muscle power) in politics (1 mark).
(iii) Rich people and companies who fund parties tend to influence their policies and decisions (1 mark).
(iii) Policies may then serve funders rather than ordinary voters, and parties choose candidates for their money rather than merit (1 mark).

Answer: (i) Italy. (ii) The growing role of money in politics. (iii) Rich people and companies who fund parties tend to influence their policies and decisions, so government may serve funders rather than ordinary citizens. Parties also start choosing candidates who have or can raise money, which weakens democratic competition.

Example 6: Why dynasty harms democracy (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Explain why dynastic succession is harmful both to party members and to democracy. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Leaders favour family members and people close to them, so ordinary workers have very few ways to rise: unfair to members (1 mark).
People without adequate experience or popular support occupy positions of power: bad for democracy (1 mark).
It reflects and deepens the lack of open, transparent and internal democratic procedures (1 mark).

Answer: When top posts stay within one family, ordinary workers have little chance to rise, which is unfair to other members. It is bad for democracy because people without enough experience or popular support come to power. It also reflects and deepens the lack of open, transparent procedures inside parties.

Where students lose marks in Challenges to Political Parties

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Listing challenges without explanation
Names only.
Wrong working
Challenges: dynasty, money, choice.
Right working
Each with cause and effect.
Do this: Name + how + why harmful.
Usually costs: 2-3 marks.
Mistake: Mixing internal democracy and dynasty
They are related.
Wrong working
Lack of internal democracy means family rule.
Right working
Internal democracy: no meetings or elections; dynasty: family controls top posts.
Do this: Separate the two, then link.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Thinking dynasty exists only in India
Local examples dominate.
Wrong working
Dynastic politics is a uniquely Indian problem.
Right working
It exists in some measure all over the world.
Do this: Note its worldwide presence.
Usually costs: 1 mark in assertion-reason.
Mistake: Naming real current leaders as examples
Students add controversial examples.
Wrong working
Writing about specific living politicians' families.
Right working
Use NCERT's general description and its examples (Britain's parties, the cartoons).
Do this: Stick to NCERT examples.
Usually costs: Wastes words; may lose marks.

Exam tips

The four challenges are a full 5-mark answer when each has an explanation and an effect.
Use Britain's Labour and Conservative parties as your example of declining ideological difference.
Read cartoons in case questions for clues: money (rich businessmen), dynasty (family), choice (look-alike parties).
Political Science word limits: 40 (2 marks), 60 (3 marks), 120 (5 marks).

Practice questions on Challenges to Political Parties

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which of the following is NOT one of the four challenges to political parties named by NCERT?
(a) Lack of internal democracy
(b) Dynastic succession
(c) Too many independent candidates
(d) Lack of meaningful choice
Hint
Remember I-D-M-C.
Answer
(c) Too many independent candidates
Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
How do money and muscle power affect political parties? (2 marks)
Hint
Candidates, funders, criminals.
Answer
To win elections, parties nominate candidates who have or can raise lots of money, and rich funders influence party policies. In some cases parties support criminals who can win elections.
Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): Voters in many democracies lack a meaningful choice between parties.
Reason (R): Ideological differences among parties have declined in most parts of the world.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
Hint
Fourth challenge.
Answer
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a party member says, 'I have been a worker for 20 years but I have never been invited to a party meeting or asked to vote for office-bearers.' Identify the challenge and explain its effects. (3 marks)
Hint
Registers, meetings, elections.
Answer
This is lack of internal democracy: the party does not hold organisational meetings or regular internal elections. As a result, ordinary members lack information and influence, power concentrates in a few leaders who decide in the party's name, and personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important than party principles.
Q5 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Why does NCERT say that the same leaders shifting from party to party limits voters' choice? (2 marks)
Hint
Choice of leaders, not just policies.
Answer
If the same set of leaders keeps moving between parties, voters cannot elect very different leaders even by changing their party preference, so choice is limited both in policies and in people.
Q6 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'Political parties need to face and overcome these challenges in order to remain effective instruments of democracy.' Evaluate how each of the four challenges weakens democracy. (5 marks)
Hint
Link each challenge to a democratic value.
Answer
Lack of internal democracy weakens participation: members have no say, decisions are made by a few leaders and loyalty to persons replaces principles, so parties themselves are undemocratic. Dynastic succession undermines equal opportunity and merit: ordinary workers cannot rise, and people without experience or popular support gain power. Money and muscle power distort representation: rich candidates and funders shape policy and criminals may win, so ordinary voters' interests lose weight. Lack of meaningful choice empties elections of purpose: if parties barely differ and leaders keep switching sides, voters cannot change policies by changing governments. So each challenge hollows out a part of democracy that parties are supposed to serve.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What are the four challenges to political parties?Show answer
Lack of internal democracy, dynastic succession, money and muscle power, and lack of meaningful choice.
2.What replaces loyalty to principles when internal democracy is weak?Show answer
Personal loyalty to the leader.
3.Which British parties does NCERT compare?Show answer
The Labour Party and the Conservative Party.
4.In India, on which policies have party differences reduced?Show answer
Economic policies.
5.Who was Berlusconi?Show answer
A Prime Minister of Italy and one of its top businessmen, leader of Forza Italia.

Challenges to Political Parties: frequently asked questions

What are the challenges to political parties in Class 10?

Lack of internal democracy, dynastic succession, the growing role of money and muscle power, and the lack of meaningful choice for voters.

What is dynastic succession?

When top positions in a party are controlled by members of one family, leaving few chances for ordinary workers to rise.

What is meant by money and muscle power in politics?

Parties nominating rich candidates, funders influencing policy, and parties supporting criminals who can win elections.

Why do voters lack meaningful choice?

Ideological differences between parties have declined, and the same leaders keep shifting from one party to another.