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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Party System | Political system with multiple parties competing for power; no single party dominance | Context |
| Congress System | Rajni Kothari's concept of Congress as dominant "party of consensus" 1952–1967 | 5/10-mark |
| Regionalism | Assertion of regional identity, interests, and autonomy in politics | 5/10-mark |
| Coalition Politics | Governance through alliances of multiple parties sharing power | 10-mark |
| Pre-poll Alliance | Alliance announced before elections with seat sharing and joint campaign | 5-mark |
| Post-poll Coalition | Parties joining forces after election results | 5-mark |
| Common Minimum Programme | Negotiated governing agenda of coalition partners; UPA-I CMP (2004) famous | 5/10-mark |
| Anti-defection Law | Tenth Schedule (1985) disqualifying legislators who change parties or defy whip | 5-mark |
| Floor-crossing | Legislator changing party or voting against their party | Context |
| National Party | Party recognised by ECI meeting specified criteria; symbol reserved nationwide | 5-mark |
| State Party | Party recognised by ECI only in specific state(s) | Context |
| NDA | National Democratic Alliance; BJP-led coalition (est. 1998) | Context |
| UPA | United Progressive Alliance; Congress-led coalition (2004–2014) | Context |
| INDIA Alliance | Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (2023); 26-party opposition bloc | Current affairs |
| Federalism of parties | Regional parties participating in central governance; mirror of federal structure in party politics | 10-mark |
| States Reorganisation Act 1956 | Created 14 states + 6 UTs on linguistic basis | Regionalism context |
| Polarised Pluralism | Sartori's term for multi-party system with strong ideological poles | 10-mark theory |
| Portfolio Allocation | Distribution of cabinet ministries among coalition partners | Coalition context |
| Hung Parliament | Parliament where no party/pre-formed coalition has majority; requires post-poll deals | Context |
| Tenth Schedule | Anti-defection provisions added by 52nd Amendment (1985) | 5-mark |
| Sons of Soil | Nativist movement asserting priority for locals over migrants (e.g., MNS in Maharashtra) | Regionalism |
| BAP | Bharat Adivasi Party; Rajasthan 2023; tribal/Adivasi identity platform | Raj context |
Sources: Election Commission of India — Party Symbols Order; Rajni Kothari, 'Politics in India' (1970); Constitution of India — Articles 3, 170, 171, Tenth Schedule; RPSC Mains PYQs 2013–2023; Lok Sabha election results 1952–2024 (ECI); Anti-Defection Law — Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachilhu (1992 SC); Maharashtra political crisis — Supreme Court (2023).