Question

Why do political parties involve partisanship?
A. They want to hold and retain power
B. They want to promote social welfare
C. They are contesting elections through candidates which stand for on their party ticket
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: A person who is strongly committed to a party, faction, or group. Partisanship is marked by a tendency to take a side and an inability to take a balanced view on an issue.

Complete answer:
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and subsequently hold and retain power in the government. With a view to promoting the collective good, they agree on some programs and policies for society. Parties try to persuade people why their policies are better than others since there can be different views on what is good for all. By winning popular support through elections they seek to implement these policies. Thus, parties reflect fundamental political divisions in society. Parties thus involve partisanship since they are about a part of society. Thus a party is known by which policies it supports, which part it stands for, and whose interests it upholds. The leaders, the followers, and the active members are the three components of a political party.
The functions of a political party include: Parties contest elections and elections are fought mainly among the candidates put up by political parties in most democracies; in making laws for a country, parties play a significant role; Parties form and run governments; the voters choose from the different programs and policies put forward by the parties. In accordance with the line taken by the ruling party, a government is expected to base its policies; by voicing different views and criticizing the government for its wrong policies or failures, those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the parties in power; Parties provide people access to welfare schemes implemented by governments and government machinery; and Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues.

Thus, option (D) is correct.

Note: The current ruling party is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jagat Prakash Nadda is the current president of this party.