| Country Name |
|
| Conventional Long Form |
Republic of India |
| Conventional Short Form |
India |
|
|
| Government Type |
Federal Republic |
|
|
| Capital |
New Delhi |
|
|
| Administrative Divisions |
28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and
Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*,
Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa,
Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura,
Uttarakhand/Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. |
|
|
| Independence |
15 August 1947 (from UK) |
|
|
| National Holidays |
Republic Day, 26 January (1950), Independence Day
15 August (1947) |
|
|
| Constitution Came into Force |
26 January 1950 |
|
|
| Legal System |
Based on English common law; Limited judicial
review of legislative acts, Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations. |
|
|
| Suffrage |
18 years of age, Universal |
|
|
| Executive Branch |
|
| Head of State |
President, Pranab Mukherjee (since 25th July 2012) |
| Vice President |
Mohammad Hamid Ansari (since 10th August 2007)
|
|
|
| Elections |
|
| For President |
President of India is elected by an electoral
college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament
and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term; election
last held NA July 2002 (next to be held 18 July 2007). |
| For Vice President |
Vice prsident is elected by both houses of
Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 12 August 2002
(next to be held NA August 2007); |
| For Prime Minister |
Prime minister is elected by parliamentary members
of the majority party following legislative elections; election last
held 3 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004) |
|
|
| Head of Government |
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh |
|
|
| Cabinet |
Council of Ministers appointed by the president on
the recommendation of the prime minister. |
|
|
| Election Results |
|
| Pratibha Patil |
Elected president; won by a margin of over 3 lakh
votes; |
| Mohd. Hamid Ansari |
Elected vice president; secured 455 votes and won
the election by a margin of 233 votes; |
| Manmohan Singh |
Elected prime minister; percent of vote - NA% |
|
|
| Legislative Branch |
Bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the
Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than
250 members, up to 12 of which are appointed by the president, the
remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and
territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the
People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular
vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
|
|
|
| Elections (Lok Sabha) |
last held in April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
|
|
|
| Election Results (2004) |
Seats by party - BJP alliance 185,
Congress (I) 220, Other's 137 |
|
|
| Judicial Branch |
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by
the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65)
|
|
|
| Political Parties & Leaders |
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha JAYARAM]; All India Forward Bloc
or AIFB, [D. BISWAS, general secretary]; Asom Gana Parishad
[Brindaban GOSWAMI]; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI];
Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Venkaiah NAIDU]; Biju Janata Dal or
BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu
Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist or
CPI/ML [Dipankar BHATTACHARYA]; Congress (I) Party [Sonia GANDHI];
Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a regional party in Tamil Nadu)
[M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National League [Suliaman SAITH]; Janata
Dal (Secular) [H. D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United) or JDU [Sharad
YADAV]; Kerala Congress (Mani faction) [K. M. MANI]; Marumalarchi
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKO]; Muslim League [G. M.
BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR];
Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Revolutionary
Socialist Party or RSP [Abani ROY]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam
Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal [G. S. TOHRA]; Shiv Sena [Bal
THACKERAY]; Tamil Maanila Congress [G. K. VASAN]; Telugu Desam Party
or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU]; Trinamool Congress [Mamata BANERJEE]
|
|
|
| Political Pressure Groups &
Leaders |
Numerous religious or
militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu
Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various
separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy,
including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. |
