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But, these differences may be accommodated by developing a tolerate attitude. Democracy

provides a peaceful solution to this problem because it gives equal opportunity to all
individuals before the law of the land. It shows a way to deal with differences and conflicts.
Moreover, in a democracy, decisions are taken by the majority party or parties. The other
parties together form the opposition. But, it does not mean that only the will of the

majority will be taken into consideration. A democratic government tries to accommodate
minority opinion also in order to enjoy the support of the people.

poliTical parTies

A political party is an organisation of people who have similar views or a set of beliefs on
political issues. They aim at to contest and win elections

and capture political power so that they can form the
government. To win the elections, political parties need to
win the people’s support. There are many political parties
in India. If any party wins more than half of the seats in
the legislature, it can form the government. The party that
forms the government is called the ruling party. While the
Symbols of Various Political Parties other parties are known as opposition parties.

coaliTion GovernmenTs

If no single party wins a clear majority, two or more parties may join together to obtain
majority. That is, their collective strength in the assembly would provide the required
majority to form the government. This type of government is called a coalition government.

This is a post poll alliance. The UPA (Dr. Manmohan Singh) government at the centre was a
coalition government.

Types of DemocraTic GovernmenTs

Governments have been classified on the basis of relationship of the political executive with
the legislative branch. If the executive is answerable and responsible to the legislature, it is
called Cabinet form of Government or Parliamentary form of government. In such a system of
government, there exists a very close relationship between the executive and the legislature.

(i) ParliamEnt Form oF govErnmEnt
The Parliament is the supreme law-making body. The President of the country is constitutional
head. The real power rests with the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister at

the centre and the Chief Ministers in the states. They are responsible to the legislature
which can remove them from office by passing a vote of no confidence, if they go against
the will of the legislature or prove unfit for the task of governing the state. The Prime
Minister and his/her cabinet are the real Executive while the President acts only on the
advice of the Council of Ministers. The President has only constitutional or nominal powers.
The President is not elected directly by the people.

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