1. Contesting elections: Parties contest elections; in India the top party leaders choose candidates for contesting elections and put them before the voters. 2. Putting forward policies and programmes: Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters choose from them; a party reduces a vast multitude of opinions into a few basic positions which it supports, and the government tends to go by the views of the ruling party. 3. Making laws: Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country; laws are debated and passed in the legislature, but since most members belong to a party, they go by the direction of the party leadership. 4. Forming and running governments: Parties form and run governments; the big policy decisions are taken by the political executive which comes from the political parties, and parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers. 5. Playing the role of opposition: Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of the opposition; they voice different views and criticise the government for its failures or wrong policies, and mobilise opposition to the government. 6. Shaping public opinion: Parties shape public opinion by raising and highlighting issues; they have lakhs of members and activists all over the country and often launch movements, so opinions in society crystallise on the lines parties take. 7. Access to government machinery and welfare schemes: Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by governments; for an ordinary citizen it is easy to approach a local party leader than a government officer, so parties have to be responsive to people's needs and demands.