The concept of intra-party democracy involves organizational choices and aspirations along with strategy where the procedures inside a party denote what the party stands for in the eyes of the public. Internal party democracy can be defined as the ‘implementation of a minimum set of norms or rules within the organization of political parties‘ for the smooth functioning of the system. This set of rules should be able to provide an approach for deciding for the party along with the distribution of power among the various bodies and individuals.
Along with such rules and regulations, there have to be electoral reforms for making the democratic processes more inclusive where more people can be brought under the electoral process and reduce corruption to make India a strong democracy. In this present society, the political parties can change the whole functioning based on the people involved in the parties and it is important to ensure that the activities are carried out in the proper manner. In India, it is important to regulate the electoral system as it has an integral role in the overall development of the society where the representatives of the people and the leaders determine the growth and development of the society.
Intra-Party Democracy in Politics
In India, there is no proper movement in the democratization of parties or selection of candidates as it is left to some leaders who choose the candidates behind closed doors. Hence in most instances, ineligible candidates get selected to represent the people in society. Other democracies, on the other hand, demonstrate a tendency toward increased intraparty democracy, decentralization, and transparency inside parties. In Germany, for example, parties must satisfy specific criteria when proposing people for party positions. At both the constituency and federal levels, they must be elected on a direct secret ballot.
In the United States, legislation requiring the use of secret votes in intraparty elections was adopted. The British Labour Party, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, the Democratic Party in the United States, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada have all experienced campaigns by party activists and rank-and-file members to limit the authority of established party leaders. The parties and elections are two important aspects that need to be carried out correctly for the effective functioning of society.
The Challenge of Democracy
While dealing with the political parties, it can be seen that various issues have to be dealt with along with intraparty democracy which has to be dealt with smoothly. The most important issue is that there is a lack of institutionalism and democratization where the biggest weakness of the parties is the unwillingness of the leaders to institutionalize the procedure involved in the selection of candidates and the participation of the members in the party. Strong leaders, on the whole, oppose institutionalization since it limits their discretion and personal influence. This has harmed the political system by impeding the establishment of broad-based non-sectarian parties capable of successfully articulating and aggregating a wide range of interests. This is a significant problem for the party system since partisan mobilization is at the basis of much of the rift and disruption in Indian politics today.
Another component is the transformation of party organizations into election-winning machines, whose success is dependent on the charisma of the leader and their ability to win elections. Winning elections has become the only function that a political party sees for itself. The prioritization of elections above other components of the democratic process suggests that parties are unconcerned about the necessity for continual organizational transformation and renewal. As elections become more expensive, leaders are recognized for their ability to draw crowds and generate funding. The political parties have to ensure that they are fulfilling their duties and responsibilities in the required manner based on the changing circumstances in society.
Electoral Reforms in India
Elections have an integral role in a democracy where it focuses on the participation of the people in public affairs and the expression of opinion on matters of social importance. It has a significant part in politics in the democratic system of governance. It can be said that there is a true democracy only when the elections are carried out in a free and fair manner. The concept of electoral reforms is often discussed which has an important role in the overall development of the political system. When the electoral reforms were introduced initially, it was seen that the processes were carried out in a free and fair manner.
But with time, this situation changed drastically and many people considered the electoral system in the country as the basis of political corruption. The electoral reforms in India undertaken by the authorities can be divided into two categories pre-2000 and post-2000. There have been various changes in two phases where the provisions were amended based on the changing conditions in society. The present electoral system in India needs proper regulation in every aspect as it is important for the overall development of the system.
Need for Political Reforms in Democracy
In India electoral reforms are needed for ensuring clean politics and healthy democracy where there has to be effective representation for the people. It refers to the introduction of the practices which ensure better democracy and clean politics where the elections have to be carried out fairly with the participation of the people in the society. One of the important aspects of electoral reforms is the transparency of the whole system where the selection of candidates has to be done effectively to develop the whole system. Electoral reforms are needed to ensure that criminals are not entertained in politics where eligible candidates have to be selected for the proper functioning of the electoral system.
The votes of the people have to be utilized in the right manner and suitable leaders have to come up for the improvement of society. The process involved in the election should show the situation of the day and it should not be imposed on contemporary society. The prohibition of criminalization of politics and prevention of any kind of misuse of government machinery is an important step toward the betterment of society. Electoral reforms are needed to ensure that the activities concerning political parties and leaders are carried out appropriately based on the rules and regulations concerning the system.
Issues in Electoral Politics in India
The electoral process in India is going through a lot of complications and issues leading to increased corruption in the country. To begin with, even though elections are considered important for the smooth functioning of the country, it can be seen that the people involved in various processes are doing illegal and immoral actions during polling by using violence, booth capturing, intimidation, etc. Such actions of the people create a lot of disturbance in the system with time due to the changing social system.
Another huge problem seen in electoral politics is the entry of criminals into politics where they utilize their power for immoral and illegal activities and encourage other criminals to join their party. Such uneducated criminals will spoil the whole system without any kind of social morals in the same. The political parties also protect the criminals and vote for them in elections to get funds in exchange for political patronage and protection. There has been a general opinion that the party which is in power utilizes the government machinery through the use of government vehicles for canvassing, advertising, etc to improve their chances of winning in the elections. The increase in the number of ineligible candidates will have an impact on the whole system as it will not help in serving the people in society.
Conclusion
In this present century, change has become an inevitable part of society where every aspect is evolving with time. The concept of intra-party democracy and electoral reforms is important for the overall development of society as elections and politics have a huge impact on the people and the society at large. Elections and politics have to be regulated effectively for the proper functioning of the sectors in society.
The participation of people and the selection of the right candidates are essential for maintaining the functions in the system where there have to be fair and reasonable functions to enhance the functioning. The political parties along with the leaders have to act according to the rules and regulations by considering the interest of the people to ensure that the activities are carried out in the right manner. When there is any kind of involvement of criminals in the political party it becomes hard to fulfill the objectives of having a political party and representatives. Hence it is important to regulate the present system by focusing on the political parties and representatives involved in it.
Editor’s Note
The article talks about the democratization of intra-party politics. It calls for stronger and respected leaders to being the process of institutionalization for candidate selection and elections. The article also bashes the electoral politics of the Indian polity today and requests that parties consider worthy and willing candidates rather than resort to nepotism and favoritism. The author acknowledges that popular support is necessary for an electoral win but requests that leaders take steps to base their policies around public opinion to make sure that there is efficient and effective reform in the system as soon as possible.