CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026, PDF Download, Unit Wise Topics & Exam Pattern
Shrivastav 28 Jan, 2026
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CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially released the CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 on the CUET NTA official website. Candidates preparing for CUET UG 2026 can now download the official syllabus PDF and begin their preparation accordingly. The CUET UG Political Science syllabus is strictly based on the NCERT Class 12 curriculum and covers key themes from Indian Politics and Contemporary World Politics, focusing on conceptual clarity and analytical understanding.
The CUET Political Science Class 12 syllabus includes important chapters such as The Era of One-Party Dominance, Nation-Building and Its Problems, Politics of Planned Development, India’s External Relations, Crisis of the Constitutional Order, Cold War Era, Globalisation and Its Critics, and other significant topics. Aspirants are advised to study the officially notified syllabus in detail to plan a structured and effective preparation strategy for CUET UG 2026.
CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 Unit Wise
CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 is divided into 2 sections, i.e., Politics in India Since Independence and Contemporary World Politics. Candidates can check the section-wise CUET Political Science Syllabus Important Topics in the table below.
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CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 |
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CUET Political Science Units |
CUET Political Science Syllabus Topics |
CUET Political Science Syllabus Subtopics |
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Politics in India Since Independence |
The 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 |
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Nation-Building and Its Problems |
Nehru’s approach to nation-building, in terms of Legacy of partition, the challenge of ‘refugee’ resettlement, the Kashmir problem Organization and reorganisation of states Political conflicts over language. |
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Politics of Planned Development |
Five- year plans expansion of state sector rise of new economic interests Famine and suspension of five-year plans Green revolution and its political fallouts |
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India’s External Relations |
Nehru’s foreign policy Sino-Indian war of 1962 Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971 India’s nuclear programme shifting alliances in world politics |
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Challenge to and Restoration of Congress System |
Political succession after Nehru Non-Congressism and electoral upset of 1967 Congress split and reconstitution Congress’ victory in 1971 Politics of ‘garibi hatao’ |
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Crisis of the Constitutional Order |
Search for ‘committed’ bureaucracy and judiciary. Navnirman movement in Gujarat Bihar movement Emergency: context, constitutional and extra-constitutional dimensions, resistance to emergency. 1977 elections and the formation of the Janata Party Rise of civil liberties organisations. |
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Regional Aspirations and Conflicts |
Rise of regional parties Punjab crisis and anti-sikh riots of 1984 The Kashmir situation Challenges and responses in the North East |
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Democratic Upsurge and Coalition Politics |
Participatory upsurge in the 1990s Rise of the JD and the BJP The increasing role of regional parties and coalition politics UF and NDA governments Elections 2004 and UPA government. |
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Recent Issues and Challenges |
Challenge of and responses to globalisation New economic policy and its opposition Rise of OBCs in North Indian politics Dalit politics in the electoral and non-electoral arena Challenge of communalism Ayodhya dispute Gujarat riots |
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Contemporary World Politics |
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. |
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Alternative Centres 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 |
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South Asia in the Post-Cold War Era |
- Democratisation and its reversals in Pakistan and Nepal - Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka - Impact of economic globalisation on the region - Conflicts and efforts for peace in South Asia - India’s relations with its neighbours. |
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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. - Accountability & democracy of new institutions of global governance? |
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Security in the Contemporary World |
- Traditional concerns of security and politics of disarmament - Non-traditional or human security: global poverty, health, and education. - Issues of human rights and migration. |
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Environment and Natural Resources in Global Politics |
- Environment movement and evolution of global environmental norms - Conflicts over traditional and common property resources - Rights of indigenous people - India’s stand-in global environmental debates |
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Globalisation and Its Critics |
- Economic, cultural and political manifestations. - Debates on the nature of consequences of globalisation - Anti-globalization movements - India as an arena of globalisation and struggles against it. |
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CUET Political Science Exam Pattern 2026
Candidates must go through CUET Exam Pattern before starting the exam preparation in the table below. The question paper will include 50 questions from Political Science and candidates need to answer only 40 out of them.
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CUET Political Science Exam Pattern 2026 |
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Features |
Details |
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Number of questions |
50 |
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Number of questions to be attempted |
40 |
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Type of question |
Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) |
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CUET exam duration |
45 minutes |
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+5 for each correct answer -1 for each incorrect answer |
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CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 PDF
Candidates who wish to appear in CUET UG 2026 exam with Political Science as a domain-specific subject can download CUET Political Science Syllabus PDF in English in the table below.
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CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 PDF |
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Subject |
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CUET Political Science Syllabus 2026 |
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CUET Political Science Preparation Strategy 2026
Candidates preparing for CUET UG Political Science exam must follow the below preparation tips.
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Know Key Theories and Concepts: Focus on important theories like realism, liberalism, and constructivism. Understand their main ideas and key thinkers associated with them.
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Study Major Political Events: Review significant events in Indian and global politics, like the independence movement, major elections, and international treaties. Know their impacts and implications.
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Familiarize with Political Systems: Understand different political systems (democracy, authoritarianism, etc.) and their features. Compare and contrast various political structures.
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Read Political Philosophy: Get a grasp on key political philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, and modern thinkers. Know their main ideas and contributions to political thought.
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Analyze Current Affairs: Stay updated on current political events. Read newspapers and follow political news to understand real-world applications of political theories & practice CUET PYQs.
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Understand the Indian Constitution: Focus on the key features, important articles, and fundamental rights. Knowing landmark Supreme Court cases can also be beneficial.
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Practice Map Work: Be familiar with political maps, including state boundaries and major political regions. This can help with questions related to geography and politics.
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Review Political Terminology: Create a glossary of important political terms (e.g., sovereignty, federalism, secularism). Knowing these will help you understand questions better.
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