two-year period of political turmoil followed the general election of 1996. Several short-lived
alliances shared power at the centre. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996; it was followed
by two comparatively long-lasting United Front coalitions, which depended on external support. In
1998, the BJP was able to form a successful coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Led
by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the NDA became the first non-Congress, coalition government to complete
a five-year term.[219] Again in the 2004 Indian general elections, no party won an absolute majority,
but the Congress emerged as the largest single party, forming another successful coalition:
the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). It had the support of left-leaning parties and MPs who
opposed the BJP. The UPA returned to power in the 2009 general election with increased numbers,
and it no longer required external support from India's communist parties.[220] That year, Manmohan
Singh became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957 and 1962 to be re-elected to a
consecutive five-year term.[221] In the 2014 general election, the BJP became the first political party
since 1984 to win a majority and govern without the support of other parties.[222] The incumbent prime
minister is Narendra Modi, a former chief minister of Gujarat. On 20 July 2017, Ram Nath
Kovind was elected India's 14th president and took the oath of office on 25 July 2017.[223][224][225]

Government
Main articles: Government of India and Constitution of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India, was designed by British architects Edwin
Lutyens and Herbert Baker for the Viceroy of India, and constructed between 1911 and 1931 during the British
Raj.[226]

India is a federation with a parliamentary system governed under the Constitution of India—the

country's supreme legal document. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, in
which "majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law". Federalism in India defines the
power distribution between the union and the states. The Constitution of India, which came into
effect on 26 January 1950,[227] originally stated India to be a "sovereign, democratic republic;" this
characterisation was amended in 1971 to "a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic".
[228]
 India's form of government, traditionally described as "quasi-federal" with a strong centre and
weak states,[229] has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic,
and social changes.[230][231]

National symbols[1]

Flag Tiranga (Tricolour)

Emblem Sarnath Lion Capital

Anthem Jana Gana Mana

 Song "Vande Mataram"

Language None[8][9][10]

Currency ₹ (Indian rupee)

Calendar Saka

 Bengal tiger
Animal
 River dolphin

 Indian peafowl

Flower Lotus

Fruit Mango

Tree Banyan

River Ganges

Game Not declared[232]

The Government of India comprises three branches:[233]