Government of India  

The Constitution of India, the longest and most exhaustive constitution of an independent nation in the world, entered into force on 26 January 1950. The preamble of the Constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. India has a bicameral parliament in Westminster operating under a parliamentary system of style. Its form of government is traditionally described as "quasi-federal" with a center and weaker States, but increasingly federal since the late 1990s in the wake of the political, economic and social change.

The President of India is the head of state elected indirectly by an electoral college for a term of five years. The Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises most executive powers. Appointed by the President, the Prime Minister is, by convention, backed by the political party or alliance of a majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament. The executive consists of President, Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet being its executive committee), headed by the Prime Minister. Holders of a portfolio of minister must be a member of either House of Parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, executive power is subordinate to the Legislature, with the Prime Minister and his Council being directly responsible for the lower house of parliament.

The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, consisting of the upper chamber of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People). The Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, has 245 members serving staggered six years. Most are elected indirectly by the state and territorial population. 543 of Lok Sabha of 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent each constituency for five years. The other two members are appointed by the President of the Anglo-Indian community, if the President is of the opinion that the community  are not adequately represented.

 

India has a unitary judicial three levels, consisting of the Supreme Court, chaired by the Chief Justice of India, twenty-one High Court and many lower courts. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over human rights issues and disputes between States and Central and Court of Appeals for the courts. It is independent, and has the power to declare the law and the strike of the union or state laws which contravene the Constitution. The role of the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution is one of the most important functions of the Supreme Court.

Politics of India

At the federal level, India's most  populous democracy in the world. For most years since independence, the federal government was led by the Indian National Congress (INC). Politics in the States has been dominated by several parties including the INC, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) and various parts of the region. From 1950 to 1990, except for two brief periods, the INC had a parliamentary majority. The INC has been in power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the elections because of public discontent with the state of emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1989, the Janata Dal-led National Front coalition in alliance with the Front of the left coalition won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years. As the 1991 elections gave no party a majority, the INC has formed a minority government under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and was able to complete a term of five years.