Concept:
- The work of a party can be followed in the order in which it happens, from before an election to long after one.
- Arranging the functions in that sequence shows how they fit together instead of reading as a loose list.
Step 1: Before the election, parties turn scattered opinions into choices.
A country holds a vast number of different opinions, and a government cannot act on all of them. Parties gather similar views into a set of policies and programmes and present them to the voters.
The voter is then choosing between a few workable directions rather than among countless individual opinions.
Step 2: During the election, parties field the candidates.
Elections are contested mainly by candidates nominated by parties. In India the top leaders choose them, while in some other countries the members and supporters of the party do. Without this, voters would face a crowd of independents with no common programme.
Step 3: After the election, parties run the state or check it.
The winning party or alliance forms the government, selects the leaders, appoints ministers and takes the decisions. The parties that lose take up the role of the opposition, criticising wrong policies and mobilising opinion against them.
Laws too are shaped by parties, since members ordinarily vote as their party decides.
Step 4: Between elections, parties keep issues alive.
Parties raise problems, launch movements and shape public opinion, often alongside pressure groups and interest groups. An issue that no party takes up rarely reaches the national agenda.
Step 5: All the while, parties keep the citizen connected.
For an ordinary person a local party worker is far easier to reach than a government officer. Through that worker, people pursue grievances and gain access to welfare schemes, which is why party workers are valued in every locality.
Final Answer: Parties assemble opinions into programmes, field candidates, form the government or the opposition, decide legislation, keep issues before the public, and connect the ordinary citizen with the machinery of government.