The word 'Political Party' was inserted in the constitution of India for the first time by:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1985 is the measure that formally introduced the word 'Political Party' into the Constitution of India for the first time. This landmark amendment was enacted during the tenure of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and is famously known as the Anti-Defection Law. Before this amendment, the term 'Political Party' was not explicitly mentioned anywhere in the constitutional text, even though political parties were foundational to India's parliamentary democracy. The 52nd Amendment sought to tackle the rampant problem of 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' politics, where elected representatives would frequently switch parties, destabilizing governments and undermining democratic mandates. By inserting a new Tenth Schedule into the Constitution, this amendment provided a legal basis to disqualify members of Parliament and State Legislatures for defection, thereby institutionalizing the role and necessity of political parties within the constitutional framework and making them legally accountable.

The incorrect option is 2:

The 65th Amendment Act, 1990, is related to the statutory body responsible for safeguarding the interests of marginalized communities, not the introduction of the term 'Political Party'. Specifically, this amendment replaced the existing single-member system for the Special Officer for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes with a multi-member National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The purpose of this amendment was to provide greater investigative and protective powers to the body responsible for ensuring the welfare of these communities. Therefore, while it is an important constitutional amendment concerning social justice, it has no connection to the anti-defection law or the insertion of the term 'Political Party'.

The incorrect option is 3:

The 78th Amendment Act, 1995, primarily dealt with land reform laws. It amended the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to include several state laws relating to land reform under its protection, shielding them from judicial review on the ground of violating fundamental rights. The Ninth Schedule was originally added to bypass judicial scrutiny on key progressive legislation, particularly those related to agrarian and land ceiling reforms. Thus, the 78th Amendment focused entirely on strengthening the constitutional validity of land reform legislation and is unrelated to the insertion of 'Political Party' or anti-defection measures.

The incorrect option is 4:

The 91st Amendment Act, 2003, is also related to the issue of defection and political stability, but it was enacted years after the initial insertion of the term 'Political Party'. The primary objective of the 91st Amendment was to strengthen the original anti-defection law by limiting the size of the Council of Ministers (both at the Center and the States) to 15% of the total strength of the respective legislative house. Crucially, it also modified the provisions regarding defection by doing away with the provision that allowed one-third of the members of a party to 'split' without inviting disqualification. Although it deals with parties, it refined and strengthened the law; it was the 52nd Amendment that first formally introduced the terminology.