Politics of India

India’s government works under special rules called the Constitution. These rules were agreed upon in 1949 and started in 1950. India is a large country with many parts, called states and union territories. Each has its own leaders. There is also a big national government that helps guide everything.

The president of India is the official leader. But the real power to run the country comes from the prime minister and the group of leaders chosen in elections. People in India vote to pick their leaders every five years. There are two main groups that help make laws: the Rajya Sabha, which represents the states, and the Lok Sabha, which represents all the people.

India’s first big vote happened in 1951. Since then, many different groups have taken turns leading the country. Today, India is known for having strong voting and fair elections, making it one of the biggest democracies in the world.

Union government

Main article: Government of India

The Government of India uses a system called the Westminster system. The Union government, also called the Central government, has three main parts: the executive (which carries out decisions), the legislature (which makes laws), and the judiciary (which explains what the laws mean). The president of India is the head of state and leads the country's military. The elected prime minister leads the government and works with parliament.

Parliament has two parts: the Lok Sabha (lower house) and the Rajya Sabha (upper house). Members of the Lok Sabha are chosen by adult citizens through voting. The Lok Sabha makes important laws and can last for up to five years. The prime minister is the main leader of the government and works with a group of ministers called the Union Council of Ministers. The Rajya Sabha is the upper house and has members chosen by state legislatures. It also helps make laws and can last for six years. The president and vice president have special roles in leading the country and helping with government work.

State governments

Main article: State governments of India

In India, each state and union territory has its own government. The leader of each state’s government is called the Chief Minister. Every state has a group of elected representatives called a legislative assembly.

The Chief Minister works with other leaders called ministers. There is also a Governor in each state, who is chosen by the President of India. The state government has its own courts, with the High Court being the most important one.

Local governments

Main article: Local government in India

Local government in India helps towns, villages, and rural areas make decisions on important issues. People in these areas elect leaders to local councils who take care of their needs. Special changes in the Constitution in 1992 helped protect these local governments.

In India, there are two main types of local governments. In cities, there are municipalities. These are groups of elected leaders who help manage city areas. In rural areas, there is a system called the panchayati raj, where local leaders help manage villages and their needs.

Main article: Municipal governance in India

There are three types of municipalities in cities, depending on the size of the city’s population:

• Municipal Corporation, for cities with more than 1 million people.
• Municipal Council, for cities with more than 25,000 but less than 1 million people.
• Town Panchayat, for towns with more than 10,000 but less than 25,000 people.

Main article: Panchayati raj in India

In rural areas, the panchayati raj system has three levels:

• Gram Panchayats at the village level
• Panchayat Samiti or Mandal Parishad or Block Panchayat or Taluk Panchayat at the Community Development Block or Mandal or Taluk level
• Zila Parishad/District Panchayat at the district level.

Elections in India

Main article: Elections in India

Elections in India help people choose leaders for many important jobs. People vote for the President, the Vice President, and members of Parliament in two groups called the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. There are also elections for leaders in each state, in special areas like Delhi and Puducherry, and for local leaders in towns and villages. If a leader can no longer serve, a special election called a by-election is held.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) makes sure elections are fair. It is led by a Chief Election Commissioner and has other Election Commissioners to help. The ECI decides when people can sign up to run, when people can vote, and when results are announced. It also makes sure political parties follow the rules and gives them special symbols to use on their signs.

Main article: Election Commission of India

Main article: State election commission (India)

Political parties, political families and alliances

For other political parties, see List of political parties in India. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in India.

Political parties in India

India has many political parties. After India became independent in 1947, over 200 parties were formed. As of March 23, 2024, there are 6 national parties, 57 state parties, and 2,764 registered parties that are not recognized. All parties that want to contest elections must choose a symbol from a list provided by the Election Commission.

Types of political parties

Main article: List of political parties in India

Every political party in India, whether national or regional, must have a symbol and be registered with the Election Commission of India. Symbols help people, including those who cannot read, recognize parties when they vote.

National political party

A party can be a national party if it gets at least six percent of votes in four or more states during a general election to the Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly, and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha. Or, it can win at least two percent of seats in the Lok Sabha (11 seats out of 543) from at least three different states.

Six national political parties are - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and National People's Party (NPP).

State political party

A party can be a state party if it gets at least six percent of votes in one state during a general election to the Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly, and wins at least two seats in that state's Legislative Assembly. Or, it can win at least three percent of seats in the Legislative Assembly, or at least three seats in the Assembly.

Registered unrecognized political party (RUPP)

These are parties that are registered but have not won enough votes to be recognized as state parties, or have not contested elections since being registered. They do not get all the benefits that recognized parties receive.

Party proliferation

Even though there are rules to prevent politicians from leaving their parties, many still form their own parties instead of joining larger ones like the Congress or the BJP. The number of parties contesting elections grew from 33 in 1984 to 113 between 1984 and 1989, and this trend has continued.

Political families

Main article: Political families of India

Since the 1980s, many political leaders in India have come from families already involved in politics. For example, the Nehru–Gandhi family has produced three prime ministers: Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi. Many other parties also have leaders from political families.

Political alliances

A coalition government is when several parties work together to form a government because no single party has enough votes to govern alone. Alliances often form to improve their chances in elections. The two largest parties, BJP and INC, are usually at the center of these alliances.

National Democratic Alliance (NDA)

Main article: National Democratic Alliance

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, was formed in 1998 after elections. It formed a government but lost support and had to hold new elections in 1999. The NDA then won and completed a full five-year term, the first non-Congress government to do so.

After losing in 2004 and 2009, the NDA returned to power in 2014 with a big win, electing Narendra Modi as prime minister. In 2019, the NDA won again for a third term. In the 2024 election, the NDA formed the government again with 293 seats, thanks to support from allies like Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United).

United Progressive Alliance (UPA)

Main article: United Progressive Alliance

The United Progressive Alliance was formed after the 2004 election when no single party had a majority. It was led by the Indian National Congress and included support from left-leaning parties. The UPA governed from 2004 to 2014 but lost popularity and was dissolved in 2023 to form a new alliance ahead of the 2024 election.

Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A)

Main article: Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance

After losing to the NDA in 2014 and 2019, many opposition parties formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) for the 2024 elections. This alliance includes 26 parties, including the former UPA, Left Front, and other smaller groups, and is led by the Indian National Congress. It brings together parties that often disagree but united to challenge the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 elections.

Political issues

Main articles: Socio-economic issues in India, Unemployment in India, and Inflation in India

See also: Corruption in India, Indian black money, Illegal immigration to India, and Refugees in India

Law and order

Some hard times affect politics in India, like groups that try to hurt the country and fights between different people.

In the past, these problems have changed politics. For example, in 1992, a very important building was damaged.

Even today, there are still challenges, like when different groups of people fight. In 2023 to 2026, a fight caused many people to leave their homes.

Sometimes, people who were elected to make laws have done things that break the law. After the 2024 election, many new lawmakers had legal problems. There are plans to make new laws to help stop this.

State of democracy

Main article: Democracy in India

India has many people who vote, showing strong support for its democracy. In the big vote in 2024, about 970 million people could choose their leaders.

Some groups say that rules are not always fair to newspapers and groups that speak up. They also say that some rules about money from other countries might be used in ways that hurt groups that help people.

India’s government says these ideas are not right. They say their rules are needed to keep the country safe and that their ways of helping people are getting better. They also say that some problems in the past have gotten smaller.