Era of One-party Dominance
Politics in India since Independence • NCERT Solutions • Chapter 2
Objective Type Questions
1. Choose the correct option to fill in the blanks.
(a) The First General Elections in 1952 involved simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
(b) The party that won the second largest number of Lok Sabha seats in the first elections was the Communist Party of India.
(c) One of the guiding principles of the ideology of the Swatantra Party was economy free from State control.
(b) The party that won the second largest number of Lok Sabha seats in the first elections was the Communist Party of India.
(c) One of the guiding principles of the ideology of the Swatantra Party was economy free from State control.
2. Match the following leaders listed in List A with the parties in List B.
| Leader | Party |
|---|---|
| (a) S. A. Dange | (iv) Communist Party of India |
| (b) Shyama Prasad Mukherjee | (i) Bharatiya Jana Sangh |
| (c) Minoo Masani | (ii) Swatantra Party |
| (d) Asoka Mehta | (iii) Praja Socialist Party |
3. Mark each of the following statements regarding one-party dominance as true or false.
(a) One-party dominance is rooted in the absence of strong alternative political parties: True
(b) One-party dominance occurs because of weak public opinion: False
(c) One-party dominance is linked to the nation’s colonial past: True (Congress inherited the legacy of the freedom struggle).
(d) One-party dominance reflects the absence of democratic ideals in a country: False (India maintained democracy despite dominance).
(b) One-party dominance occurs because of weak public opinion: False
(c) One-party dominance is linked to the nation’s colonial past: True (Congress inherited the legacy of the freedom struggle).
(d) One-party dominance reflects the absence of democratic ideals in a country: False (India maintained democracy despite dominance).
Map Work
4. On a political map of India, mark:
- (a) States where Congress was not in power (1952-67):
- Kerala: (Communist government formed in 1957).
- Jammu & Kashmir: (Ruled by National Conference).
- (b) States where Congress remained in power:
- Uttar Pradesh
- Maharashtra (or Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, etc.)
Critical Analysis
5. Read the passage by Rajni Kothari and answer the questions.
(a) Why should Congress not have been a cohesive and disciplined party?
The author believes that for Congress to govern a diverse nation like India, it needed to maintain its “all-embracing character.” A cohesive, disciplined party with a rigid single ideology would have alienated various groups. By remaining an open coalition, Congress could accommodate diverse interests and opinions, which was essential for political stability in the early decades.
(b) Examples of the eclectic role of the Congress party:
(c) Why was Gandhi’s view romantic?
Gandhi wanted to disband the Congress as a political party after Independence and turn it into a social service organization (Lok Sevak Sangh). The author calls this “romantic” because it ignored the practical reality that a newly independent nation needed a structured political party to run the government and manage the state, a role only Congress was prepared to fill at that time.
The author believes that for Congress to govern a diverse nation like India, it needed to maintain its “all-embracing character.” A cohesive, disciplined party with a rigid single ideology would have alienated various groups. By remaining an open coalition, Congress could accommodate diverse interests and opinions, which was essential for political stability in the early decades.
(b) Examples of the eclectic role of the Congress party:
- Ideally & Ideologically: It accommodated socialists, conservatives, pacifists, and radicals within its fold.
- Socially: It represented diverse groups including peasants, industrialists, urban dwellers, and villagers.
- Policy: It adopted a mixed economy (socialist planning + private sector) and non-alignment, balancing opposing global and domestic pressures.
(c) Why was Gandhi’s view romantic?
Gandhi wanted to disband the Congress as a political party after Independence and turn it into a social service organization (Lok Sevak Sangh). The author calls this “romantic” because it ignored the practical reality that a newly independent nation needed a structured political party to run the government and manage the state, a role only Congress was prepared to fill at that time.