From Hegemony to Competition

Political parties are an indispensable part of any modern ‘democratic state’ and a parliamentary democracy rests on the principle of debate, discussion and dissent. As a preliminary principle of parliamentary democracy, the majority (ruling party or a coalition of parties) has a legitimate authority to rule, while the minority (opposition) is supposed to act as a bulwark against any tendency of authoritarianism that the majority party might exhibit. The opposition, therefore, plays a critical role of dissenting, questioning and keep the ruling group in check. This mechanism ensures making use of the system of checks and balances crucial for the proper working of a democratic system. This whole process is in turn based on a sound and robust party system. The party system is a major, perhaps the most vital, instrument of a democratic political culture in modern times. A modern democracy essentially derives its strength, sustenance and necessary inspiration from organised political parties which ‘structure and articulate political opinions and views, aggregate public interests and help resolve differences and social conflicts among the various classes of people’ ( Singh 1982 ). They play a fundamental role in the political processes that govern the operational character of the system. The working of formal organisations in a ‘parliamentary democracy’ becomes comprehensible only through the dynamics of the party system.