What was the relation between the ruling Congress party and the opposition parties in the first decade of electoral politics?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → In the first decade of electoral competition, the Congress acted both as the ruling party as well as the opposition.
Option (1) In the 1950s, the Congress kept the opposition under check and often changed the balance of power within the opposition. — Incorrect. It was the other way round: the opposition parties offered sustained criticism of the Congress, and this kept the ruling party under check and often changed the balance of power within the Congress.
Option (2) The electoral system helped the opposition to gain dominance in politics. — Incorrect. The electoral system artificially boosted the Congress’s victory: in 1952 it won 74 per cent of the seats with 45 per cent of the votes, while the Socialist Party, with more than 10 per cent of the votes, could not win even three per cent of the seats.
Option (3) In the first decade of electoral competition, the Congress acted both as the ruling party as well as the opposition. — Correct. Political competition took place within the Congress through its factions, which worked as a balancing mechanism; so the Congress acted both as the ruling party and as the opposition, and the period is called the ‘Congress system’.
Option (4) Personal relationship with political adversaries grew impressively after party competition grew more intense. — Incorrect. In the early years there was much mutual respect between Congress and opposition leaders, but this personal relationship declined after the party competition grew more intense.
NCERT (2025-26): “Tolerance and management of factions … Most of the state units of the Congress were made up of numerous factions. The factions took different ideological positions making the Congress appear as a grand centrist party. The other parties primarily attempted to influence these factions and thereby indirectly influenced policy and decision making from the ‘margins’. They were far removed from the actual exercise of authority. They were not alternatives to the ruling party; instead they constantly pressurised and criticised, censured and influenced the Congress. The system of factions functioned as balancing mechanism within the ruling party. Political competition therefore took place within the Congress. In that sense, in the first decade of electoral competition the Congress acted both as the ruling party as well as the opposition. That is why this period of Indian politics has been described as the ‘Congress system’. Emergence of opposition parties … These parties offered a sustained and often principled criticism of the policies and practices of the Congress party. This kept the ruling party under check and often changed the balance of power within the Congress.… Emergence of opposition parties … In the early years there was a lot of mutual respect between the leaders of the Congress and those of the opposition. The interim government that ruled the country after the declaration of Independence and the first general election included opposition leaders like Dr. Ambedkar and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in the cabinet. Jawaharlal Nehru often referred to his fondness for the Socialist Party and invited socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan to join his government. This kind of personal relationship with and respect for political adversaries declined after the party competition grew more intense.… Congress dominance in the first three general elections … The extent of the victory of the Congress was artificially boosted by our electoral system. The Congress won three out of every four seats but it did not get even half of the votes. In 1952, for example, the Congress obtained 45 per cent of the total votes. But it managed to win 74 per cent of the seats. The Socialist Party, the second largest party in terms of votes, secured more than 10 per cent of the votes all over the country. But it could not even win three per cent of the seats.…” |