Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. The role of political parties -- 2. Political party system -- 3. Functions of pressure groups -- 4. Growth of pressure groups -- 5. Social movements in India -- 6. Social movement -- 7. The systematic role of parties and interest groups -- 8. Legal representation of interests.

A political party basically, is a group of people. These people come together to contest elections in order to hold power in the government. It is a way to mobilize voters to support common sets of interests, concerns, and goals. The primary role of the political party is to fix the political agenda and policies. So, each party tries to persuade people by claiming their policies are better than those of other parties. In a broader perspective, a political party is a means via which the people can speak to the government and have a say in the governance of any country. A democracy cannot exist without the presence of a political party. This is clear from the function performed by the political parties. A pressure group is a group of people who are organised actively for promoting and defending their common interest. It is called so, as it attempts to bring a change in public policy by exerting pressure on the government. It acts as a liaison between the government and its members. The pressure groups are also called interest groups or vested groups. They are different from the political parties, as they neither contest elections nor try to capture political power. They are concerned with specific programmes and issues and their activitiesare confined to the protection and promotion of the interests of their members by influencing the government. -- Preface