State the various functions political parties perform in a democracy.

The functions performed by the political parties are as follows:

1. They contest elections.
2. They introduce various policies and programmes for the people.
3. They play an important role in decision-making to legislate and execute.
4. These parties, when successful in elections, form and run the government.
5. These parties, if they lose, become the opposition parties and play the role of criticising the government.
6. The parties mould the public’s opinion on various issues. They can help them form an opinion and can also influence them to alter their opinion.
7. These parties help the citizenry access the government’s policies and acts.