CUET Political Science

The CUET Political Science (Subject Code: 323) exam is for students aiming for B.A. (Hons) in Political Science, International Relations, or Public Administration at top universities like DU, JNU, and BHU. For this year exam, the syllabus is strictly based on the NCERT Class 12 syllabus, divided into two major parts: Politics in India Since Independence and Contemporary World Politics. This subject tests your ability to connect historical events to current political structures and global dynamics. For this year the exam follows a high-speed format where you must attempt 40 out of 50 MCQs in 60 minutes. The NTA has significantly increased the presence of Chronological ordering (e.g., sequencing the Indo-Pak wars or the formation of coalition governments) and Match-the-following questions involving political leaders and their associated movements or slogans (like Garibi Hatao or Total Revolution). High marks units include Recent Developments in Indian Politics and The End of Bipolarity, which together can account for nearly 25–30% of the paper. Our website is designed to sharpen your best accuracy. Use the Chapter-wise MCQ button and use our free mock tests too.

Important Practice Resources for Mock Tests for CUET Political Science

Unit 1: Era of One-Party Dominance

  • First three general elections, nature of Congress dominance at the National level, uneven dominance at the state level, coalitional nature of Congress. Major opposition parties.

Note for Students: This unit explores the foundational years of Indian democracy and the political factors that led to the prolonged dominance of the Congress party.

Unit 2: Nation - Building and Its Problems

  • Nehru’s approach to nation-building: Legacy of partition: challenge of ‘refugee’ resettlement, the Kashmir problem.
  • Organisation and reorgansation of states; Political conflicts over language.

Note for Students: Focus on the internal challenges faced by India immediately after independence, particularly regarding territorial integrity and linguistic identity.

Unit 3: Politics of Planned Development

  • Five year plans, expansion of state sector and the rise of new economic interest.

Note for Students: This section covers India's early economic strategies and the shift toward a state-led development model.

Unit 4: India's External Relation

  • Nehru’s foreign policy. Sino-Indian war of 1962, Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971.
  • India’s nuclear programme and shifting alliance in world politics.

Note for Students: Study India's diplomatic evolution and its major military conflicts with neighboring nations during the Cold War era.

Unit 5: Challenge to and Restoration of Congress System

  • Political succession after Nehru. NonCongressism and electoral upset of 1967, Congress split and reconstitution, Congress’ victory in 1971 elections, politics of ‘garibi hatao’.

Note for Students: Analyze the turbulent period of political leadership transition and the subsequent centralization of power under Indira Gandhi.

Unit 6: Crises of the Constitutional Order

  • Search for ‘committed’ bureaucracy and judiciary. Navnirman movement in Gujarat and the Bihar movement.
  • Emergency: context, constitutional and extra constitutional dimensions, resistance to emergency.
  • 1977 elections and the formation of Janata Party. Rise of civil liberties organisations.

Note for Students: This unit details the most significant threat to Indian democracy and the eventual restoration of the constitutional order.

Unit 7: Regional Aspiration and Conflicts

  • Rise of regional parties. Punjab crisis and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
  • The Kashmir situation. Challenges and responses in the North East.

Note for Students: Examine the tension between national integration and the rise of localized political identities across different Indian states.

Unit 8: Democratic Upsurge and Coalition Politics

  • Participatory upsurge in 1990s. Rise of the JD and the BJP.
  • Increasing role of regional parties and coalition politics. UF and NDA governments.
  • Elections 2004-2019 and UPA government with addition of NDA government.

Note for Students: Focus on the shift from single-party dominance to the era of complex multi-party alliances and coalition governance.

Unit 9: Recent Issues and Challenges

  • Challenge of and responses to globalization: new economic policy and its opposition.
  • Rise of OBCs in North Indian politics. Dalit politics in electoral and non-electoral arena.
  • Challenge of communalism: Ayodhya issue.

Note for Students: This unit covers contemporary social and economic challenges, including the impact of market reforms and identity-based politics.

Unit 10: Disintegration of the ‘Second World’ and the Collapse of Bipolarity

  • New entities in world politics: Russia, Balkan states and, Central Asian states, Introduction of democratic politics and capitalism in post communist regimes.
  • India’s relations with Russia and other post-communist countries.

Note for Students: Analyze the end of the Cold War and how the fall of the Soviet Union reshaped global power dynamics and India's foreign policy.

Unit 11: Alternative Centers of Economic and Political Power

  • Rise of China as an economic power in post Mao era, creation and expansion of European Union, ASEAN.
  • India’s changing relations with China, Japan and South Korea.
  • South Korea.

Note for Students: This section explores the emergence of new regional blocs and nations that challenge traditional Western hegemony.

Unit 12: South Asia in the Post Cold War Era

  • Democratisation and its reversals in Pakistan and Nepal. Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.
  • Impact of economic globalization on the region. Conflicts and efforts for peace in South Asia. India’s relation with its neighbours.

Note for Students: Study the unique political developments and security challenges within the Indian subcontinent and neighboring countries.

Unit 13: International Organisations in a Unipolar World

  • Restructuring and the future of the UN. India’s position in the restructured UN.
  • Rise of new international actors: new international economic organisations, NGOs.
  • How democratic and accountable are the new institution of global governance?

Note for Students: Focus on the relevance of the United Nations and the influence of non-state actors in modern global decision-making.

Unit 14: Security in Contemporary World

  • Traditional concerns of security and politics of disarmament.
  • Non-traditional of human security: global poverty, health and education. Issues of human rights and migration.

Note for Students: This unit distinguishes between military-focused security and broader human-centric threats like disease and poverty.

Unit 15: Environment and Natural Resources in Global Politics

  • Environment movement and evolution of global environmental norms. Conflicts over traditional and common property resources.
  • Right of indigenous people. India’s stand in global environmental debates.

Note for Students: Examine the intersection of ecology and international relations, specifically regarding resource management and climate change.

Unit 16: Globalisation and its critics

  • Economic, cultural and political manifestations. Debates on the nature of consequences of globalization.
  • Anti-globalisation movements. India as an arena of globalization and struggles against it.

Note for Students: Analyze the multifaceted impact of global integration and the various political and social movements that oppose it.