Social Science (087) — CBSE Class 10 board question

Challenges faced by political parties in India:

1. Lack of internal democracy: Power is concentrated in the hands of one or a few leaders. Ordinary members have little say in decision-making. No internal elections are held regularly.

1. Dynastic succession: Top positions are passed on to family members of leaders rather than capable workers, limiting opportunities for others.

1. Role of money and muscle power: Parties increasingly rely on wealthy candidates and criminals to win elections, sidelining honest candidates.

1. No meaningful choice: Parties are often divided on the basis of personalities rather than ideology, so voters lack a real policy-based choice.

1. Lack of transparency: Parties do not make their internal working and finances transparent or open to public scrutiny.

These challenges undermine the democratic functioning of political parties.

Source: Chapter 4, Democratic Politics

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• CBSE expects 5 distinct, labelled points for a 5-mark question on challenges.
• Each point should have a bold heading + 1–2 lines of explanation — examiners award 1 mark per valid point.
• Avoid just listing headings; a one-line explanation for each is necessary.
• These exact challenges are from the textbook section "Challenges to Political Parties" — stick to the textbook language for full marks.