ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Political parties are indispensable for the working of a democratic government. They supply the motive-power which keeps the wheels of administration moving. Without political parties, says Maclver, “there can be no unified statement of principle, no orderly evolution of policy, no regular resort to the constitutional device of parliamentary elections, nor of course any of the recognised institutions by means of which does a party seek to gain or to maintain power.” Those who deplore the existence and influence of political parties, perhaps, do not understand the working of the democracy.

As Lowell says, “The conception of government by the whole people in any large nation is, of course, a chimera; for wherever the suffrage is wide parties are certain to exist and the control must really be in the hands of the party that comprises a majority or a rough approximation to a majority of the people.” Without party organisation there may be factions and cabals, people appealing and petitioning to government for the redress of personal and sectional grievances. A faction lacks a stable organization and it is a group with a scattered leadership in pursuit of sectional interests. Whereas stable organisation is a distinguishing feature of a political party and it pursues “desirable objectives for the corporate body as a whole” and it functions under recognised leadership.

Shah, Nadda meet Bihar BJP core group days after Nitish moves on to RJD

According to reports, discussions are being held on the BJP's role as the Opposition party in the state and issues to be raised, selection of a new Bihar BJP chief, besides naming the leader of Opposition in the Assembly and Legislative Council.
Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda held a meeting of the party's core committee at the headquarters in Delhi to Tuesday to discuss the recent political developments in Bihar and take a call on the saffron party's next course of action. In a quick turn of events, the Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JD-U) swapped ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and rejoined the Mahagathbandhan. With this, the BJP became the main Opposition in the eastern state from being a ruling ally in a span of a few hours. According to reports, discussions were being held on the BJP's role as the Opposition party in the state and issues to be raised, selection of a new Bihar BJP chief, besides naming the leader of Opposition in the Assembly and Legislative Council.

New Delhi: The BJP, politically isolated in Bihar, is holding a brainstorming session this evening where the party's senior-most leaders are in favour of focussing on the upper castes and finding a face that can challenge Nitish Kumar, sources said. The meet -- led by Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda -- are also likely to agree to a series of rallies in the state with the "pol khol (unmask) Nitish Kumar" theme, sources said. Mr Kumar has not only walked out of the alliance with the BJP, he has also mopped up all the opposition parties in Bihar in his new alliance, leaving only the Pashupati Paras faction of the Lok Janshakti Party as a BJP ally. Sources said the BJP's core group is toying with the idea of bringing together the two factions of the LJP to increase its strength. The sudden coalescing of the opposition parties has left the BJP isolated. It has also left it without any core support groups. The Most Backward Castes which had voted for it in the last state elections are the supporters of Nitish Kumar and are believed to have walked away with him. The non-Yadav OBCs (Other Backward Castes), Dalits, Yadavs and Muslims are firmly behind the Mahagathbandhan, with Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha coming together. Sources said the BJP is expected to make big changes at the organizational level as the term of state party president Sanjay Jaiswal getting over next month.