1. Political parties are the most visible instruments of bringing a change in a specific democratic country. Most of the ordinary citizens identify with popular political parties. For example- if we travel to the remote parts or villages of a country and speak to the less educated people, we would come to know that although they do not know anything about the government or the constitution but they do identify with party symbols. 2. Political parties are crucial institutions of a democracy which perform a variety of functions in the smooth working of a country. They are composed of leaders, active members and their followers. 3. Governments at various levels such as the national or state level are formed through the election process wherein different political parties compete to exercise political power. For example- the INC, BJP etc. 4. Parties play a crucial role in putting forward their policies and programmes for the welfare of the general public in a democracy. 5. Political parties are also involved in the process of decision making. Since most of the members of the legislature belong to different parties, they tend to influence decision making by going in the direction of the party leadership.