Politics of India

Politics of India works within the framework of the country's Constitution. India is a
parliamentary democratic republic in which the president of India is the head of state and the
prime minister of India is the head of government. It is based on the federal structure of
government, although the word is not used in the Constitution itself. India follows the dual polity
system, i.e. federal in nature, that consists of the central authority at the centre and states at the
periphery. The Constitution defines the organisational powers and limitations of both central and
state governments; it is well recognised, fluid (Preamble of the Constitution being rigid and to
dictate further amendments to the Constitution) and considered supreme, i.e. the laws of the
nation must conform to it.
 Politics of India

National Emblem of India

Polity type Federal Parliamentary Republic

Constitution Constitution of India

Legislative branch

Name Parliament

Type Bicameral

Meeting place Sansad Bhavan

Upper house

Name Rajya Sabha

Presiding officer Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Chairman of the

Rajya Sabha

Appointer Electoral College

Lower house

Name Lok Sabha

Presiding officer Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Executive branch

Head of State

Title President

Currently Ram Nath Kovind

 Appointer Electoral College
Head of Government

Title Prime Minister

Currently Narendra Modi

Appointer President

Cabinet

Name Union Council of Ministers

Current cabinet Second Modi ministry

Leader Prime Minister

Appointer President

Ministries 52

Judicial branch

Name Judiciary

Supreme Court

Chief judge N. V. Ramana

There is a provision for a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Rajya Sabha
(Council of States), which represents the states of the Indian federation, and a lower house, the
Lok Sabha (House of the People), which represents the people of India as a whole. The
Constitution provides for an independent judiciary, which is headed by the Supreme Court. The
court's mandate is to protect the Constitution, to settle disputes between the central government
and the states, to settle inter-state disputes, to nullify any central or state laws that go against
the Constitution and to protect the fundamental rights of citizens, issuing writs for their
enforcement in cases of violation.[1]

There are 543 members in the Lok Sabha, who are elected using plurality voting (first past the
post) system from 543 single-member constituencies. There are 245 members in the Rajya
Sabha, out of which 233 are elected through indirect elections by single transferable vote by the
members of the state legislative assemblies; 12 other members are elected/nominated by the
President of India. Governments are formed through elections held every five years (unless
otherwise specified), by parties that secure a majority of members in their respective lower
houses (Lok Sabha in the central government and Vidhan Sabha in states). India had its first
general election in 1951, which was won by the Indian National Congress, a political party that
went on to dominate subsequent elections until 1977, when a non-Congress government was
formed for the first time in independent India. The 1990s saw the end of single-party domination
and the rise of coalition governments. The elections for the 16th Lok Sabha, held from April
2014 to May 2014, once again brought back single-party rule in the country, with the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) being able to claim a majority in the Lok Sabha.[2]

In recent decades, Indian politics has become a dynastic affair.[3] Possible reasons for this could
be the party stability, absence of party organisations, independent civil society associations that
mobilise support for the parties and centralised financing of elections.[4]

Political parties and alliances

A view of the Parliament of India

When compared to other democracies, India has had a large number of political parties during
its history under democratic governance. It has been estimated that over 200 parties were
formed after India became independent in 1947.[5] Leadership of political parties in India is
commonly interwoven with well-known families whose dynastic leaders actively play the
dominant role in a party. Further, party leadership roles are often transferred to subsequent
generations in the same families. The two main parties in India are the Bharatiya Janata Party,
commonly known as the BJP, which is the leading right-wing nationalist party, and the Indian
National Congress, commonly called the INC or Congress, which is the leading centre-left party.
These two parties currently dominate national politics, both adhering their policies loosely to
their places on the left–right political spectrum. At present, there are eight national parties and
many more state parties.

Types of political parties

Every political party in India, whether a national or regional/state party, must have a symbol and
must be registered with the Election Commission of India. Symbols are used in the Indian
political system to identify political parties in part so that illiterate people can vote by
recognizing the party symbols.[6]

In the current amendment to the Symbols Order, the commission has asserted the following five
principles:[7]

1. A party, national or state, must have a legislative presence.

2. A national party's legislative presence must be in the Lok Sabha. A state party's legislative
presence must be in the State Assembly.

3. A party can set up a candidate only from amongst its own members.

4. A party that loses its recognition shall not lose its symbol immediately but shall be allowed
to use that symbol for some time to try and retrieve its status. However, the grant of such
facility to the party will not mean the extension of other facilities to it, as are available to
recognized parties, such as free time on Doordarshan or AIR, free supply of copies of
electoral rolls, etc.

5. Recognition should be given to a party only on the basis of its own performance in
elections and not because it is a splinter group of some other recognized party.

A political party shall be eligible to be recognized as a national party if:[7]

1. it secures at least six percent (6%) of the valid votes polled in any four or more states, at a
general election to the Lok Sabha or, to the State Legislative Assembly; and .

2. in addition, it wins at least four seats in the House of the People from any State or States.

3. or it wins at least two percent (2%) seats in the House of the People (i.e. 11 seats in the
existing House having 543 members), and these members are elected from at least three
different states.

Likewise, a political party shall be entitled to be recognized as a state party, if:

 1. it secures at least six percent (6%) of the valid votes polled in the state at a general
election, either to the Lok Sabha or to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned; and

2. in addition, it wins at least two seats in the Legislative Assembly of the state concerned.

3. or it wins at least three percent (3%) of the total number of seats in the Legislative
Assembly of the state, or at least three seats in the Assembly, whichever is more.

Party proliferation

Although a strict anti-defection law had been passed in 1984, there has been a continued
tendency amongst politicians to float their own parties rather than join a broad based party such
as the Congress or the BJP. Between the 1984 and 1989 elections, the number of parties
contesting elections increased from 33 to 113. In the decades since, this fragmentation has
continued.[8]

Alliances

India has a history of party alliances and breakdown of alliances. However, there are three party
alliances regularly aligning on a national level in competing for Government positions. The
member parties work in harmony for gratifying national interests, although parties can jump
ships.

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - Right-wing coalition led by BJP was formed in 1998 after
the elections. NDA formed a government, although the government didn't last long as AIADMK
withdrew support from it resulting in 1999 general elections, in which NDA won and resumed
power. The coalition government went on to complete the full five-years term, becoming the
first non-Congress government to do so. In the 2014 General Elections, NDA once again
returned to powers for the second time, with a historic mandate of 336 out of 543 Lok Sabha
seats. BJP itself won 282 seats, thereby electing Narendra Modi as the head of the
government. In a historic win, the NDA stormed to power for the third term in 2019 with a
combined strength of 353 seats, with the BJP itself winning an absolute majority with 303
seats

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) - Centre-left coalition led by Indian National Congress; this
alliance was created after the 2004 general elections, with the alliance forming the
Government. The alliance even after losing some of its members, was re-elected in 2009
General Elections with Manmohan Singh as head of the government. The alliance has been in
the opposition since the 2014 elections, with the INC being the principal opposition party, but
 without the official status of the Leader of Opposition since they failed to win the minimum
required seats.

Corruption

India has seen political corruption for decades. Democratic institutions soon became federally
owned, dissent was eliminated and a majority of citizens paid the price. The political corruption
in India is weakening its democracy and has led to the erosion of trust by the general public in
the political system. A good amount of money is required in elections which is source of
political-capitalist nexus.[9]

Candidate selection

Pre-election alliances are common in India with parties deciding to share seats. This is seen
mainly on a state by state basis rather than on the national level. Candidate selection starts after
seat sharing has been agreed by alliance fellows.

Indian political parties have low level of internal party democracy and therefore, in Indian
elections, both at the state or national level, party candidates are typically selected by the party
elites, more commonly called the party high command. The party elites use a number of criteria
for selecting candidates. These include the ability of the candidates to finance their own
election, their educational attainment, and the level of organization the candidates have in their
respective constituencies.[10] Quite often the last criterion is associated with candidate
criminality.[11]

Local governance

Panchayati Raj Institutions or Local self-government bodies play a crucial role in Indian politics,
as it focuses on grassroot-level administration in India.

On 24 April 1993, the Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 came into force to provide
constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions. This Act was extended to Panchayats in
the tribal areas of eight States, namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan from 24 December 1996.

The Act aims to provide a 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having a population of
over 2 million, to hold Panchayat elections regularly every 5 years, to provide reservation of seats
for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women, to appoint State Finance Commission to
make recommendations as regards the financial powers of the Panchayats and to constitute
District Planning Committee to prepare a draft development plan for the district.

Role of political parties

As with any other democracy, political parties represent different sections among the Indian
society and regions, and their core values play a major role in the politics of India. Both the
executive branch and the legislative branch of the government are run by the representatives of
the political parties who have been elected through the elections. Through the electoral process,
the people of India choose which representative and which political party should run the
government. Through elections, any party may gain simple majority in the lower house.
Coalitions are formed by the political parties in case no single party gains a simple majority in
the lower house. Unless a party or a coalition have a majority in the lower house, a government
cannot be formed by that party or the coalition.

Current ruling parties in the states and union territories of India

   BJP (12)
   Coalition with BJP (6)
   INC (4)
   Coalition with INC (2)
    Other parties

(AAP, AITC, BJD, CPI(M), TRS and YSRCP) (6)

   President's rule (1)
   No legislature (5)

India has a multi-party system, where there are a number of national as well as regional parties.
A regional party may gain a majority and rule a particular state. If a party is represented in more
than 4 states, it would be labelled a national party (subject to other criteria above). Out of the 72
years of India's independence, India has been ruled by the Congress party for 53 years as of
January 2020.

The party enjoyed a parliamentary majority save for two brief periods during the 1970s and late
1980s. This rule was interrupted between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party coalition won
the election owing to public discontent with the controversial state of emergency declared by the
then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The Janata Dal won elections in 1989, but its government
managed to hold on to power for only two years.

Between 1996 and 1998, there was a period of political flux with the government being formed
first by the nationalist BJP followed by a left-leaning United Front coalition. In 1998, the BJP
formed the National Democratic Alliance with smaller regional parties, and became the first non-
INC and coalition government to complete a full five-year term. The 2004 elections saw the INC
winning the largest number of seats to form a government leading the United Progressive
Alliance, and supported by left-parties and those opposed to the BJP.

On 22 May 2004, Manmohan Singh[12] was appointed the prime minister of India following the
victory of the INC and the left front in the 2004 Lok Sabha election. The UPA ruled India without
the support of the left front. Previously, Atal Bihari Vajpayee[13] had taken office in October 1999
after a general election in which a BJP-led coalition of 13 parties called the National Democratic
Alliance emerged with a majority. In May 2014, Narendra Modi of BJP was elected as the prime
minister.

Formation of coalition governments reflects the transition in Indian politics away from the
national parties toward smaller, more narrowly based regional parties. Some regional parties,
especially in South India, are deeply aligned to the ideologies of the region unlike the national
parties and thus the relationship between the central government and the state government in
various states has not always been free of rancour. Disparity between the ideologies of the
political parties ruling the centre and the state leads to severely skewed allocation of resources
between the states.
 Political issues

Social issues

The lack of homogeneity in the Indian population causes division among different sections of
the people based on religion, region, language, caste and ethnicity. This has led to the rise of
political parties with agendas catering to one or a mix of these groups. Parties in India also
target people who are not in favour of other parties and use them as an asset.

Some parties openly profess their focus on a particular group. For example, the Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam's and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's focus on the
Dravidian population and Tamil identity; Biju Janata Dal's championing of Odia culture; the Shiv
Sena's pro-Marathi agenda; Naga People's Front's demand for protection of Naga tribal identity;
People's Democratic Party; National Conference's calling for Kashmiri Muslim identity and
Telugu Desam Party's formation in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh by N. T. Rama Rao demanding
for rights and needs of people of the state only. Some other parties claim to be universal in
nature, but tend to draw support from particular sections of the population. For example, the
Rashtriya Janata Dal (translated as National People's Party) has a votebank among the Yadav
and Muslim population of Bihar and the All India Trinamool Congress does not have any
significant support outside West Bengal.

The narrow focus and votebank politics of most parties, even in the central government and
state legislature, supplements national issues such as economic welfare and national security.
Moreover, internal security is also threatened as incidences of political parties instigating and
leading violence between two opposing groups of people is a frequent occurrence.

Economic problems
Door-to-door campaigning of political party workers

Economic issues like poverty, unemployment and development are the main issues that
influence politics. Garibi Hatao (eradicate poverty) has been a slogan of the Congress for a long
time. BJP encourages a free market economy. The more popular slogan in this field is Sabka
Saath, Sabka Vikas (Cooperation with all, progress of all). The Communist Party of India
(Marxist) vehemently supports left-wing politics like land-for-all, right to work and strongly
opposes neoliberal policies such as globalisation, capitalism and privatisation.

Law and order

Terrorism, Naxalism, religious violence and caste-related violence are important issues that
affect the political environment of the Indian nation. Stringent anti-terror legislation such as
TADA, POTA and MCOCA have received much political attention, both in favour and against, and
some of these laws were disbanded eventually due to human rights violations.[14] However,
UAPA was amended in 2019 to negative effect vis-á-vis human rights.

Terrorism has affected politics India since its conception, be it the terrorism supported from
Pakistan or the internal guerrilla groups such as Naxalites. In 1991 the former prime minister
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during an election campaign.[15] The suicide bomber was later
linked to the Sri Lankan terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as it was later revealed
the killing was an act of vengeance for Rajiv Gandhi sending troops in Sri Lanka against them in
1987.[15]

The Godhra train killings and the Babri Masjid demolition on 6 December 1992 resulted in
nationwide communal riots in two months, with worst occurring in Mumbai with at least 900
dead.[15][16] The riots were followed by 1993 Bombay bombings, which resulted in more deaths.

Law and order issues, such as action against organised crime are issues which do not affect the
outcomes of elections. On the other hand, there is a criminal–politician nexus. Many elected
legislators have criminal cases against them. In July 2008, the Washington Post reported that
nearly a fourth of the 540 Indian Parliament members faced criminal charges, "including human
trafficking, child prostitution immigration rackets, embezzlement, rape and even murder".[17]

High Political Offices in India

President of India

The Constitution of India lays down that the Head of State and Union Executive is the president
of India. They are elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of members of
both Houses of Parliament and members of legislative assemblies of the states. The president
is eligible for re-elections; however, in India's independent history, only one president has been re-
elected – Rajendra Prasad.

The president appoints the prime minister of India from the party or coalition which commands
maximum support of the Lok Sabha, on whose recommendation he/she nominates the other
members of the Union Council of Ministers. The president also appoints judges of the Supreme
Court and High Courts. It is on the president's recommendation that the Houses of Parliament
meet, and only the president has the power to dissolve the Lok Sabha. Furthermore, no bill
passed by Parliament can become law without the president's assent.

However, the role of the president of India is largely ceremonial. All the powers of the president
mentioned above are exercised on recommendation of the Union Council of Ministers, and the
president does not have much discretion in any of these matters. The president also does not
have discretion in the exercise of his executive powers, as the real executive authority lies in the
Cabinet. The current president is Ram Nath Kovind.

Vice President of India

The office of the vice-president of India is constitutionally the second most senior office in the
country, after the president. The vice-president is also elected by an electoral college, consisting
of members of both houses of Parliament.

Like the president, the role of the vice-president is also ceremonial, with no real authority vested
in him/her. The vice-president fills in a vacancy in the office of president (till the election of a
new president). The only regular function is that the vice-president functions as the ex officio
Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. No other duties/powers are vested in the office. The current vice-
president is Venkaiah Naidu.

The Prime Minister and the Union Council of Ministers

The Union Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister, is the body with which the real
executive power resides. The prime minister is the recognized head of the government.
The Union Council of Ministers is the body of ministers with which the prime minister works with
on a day-to-day basis. Work is divided between various ministers into various departments and
ministries. The Union Cabinet is a smaller body of senior ministers which lies within the Union
Council of Ministers, and is the most powerful set of people in the country, playing an
instrumental role in legislation and execution alike.

All members of the Union Council of Ministers must be members of either House of Parliament
at the time of appointment or must get elected/nominated to either House within six months of
their appointment.

It is the Union Cabinet that co-ordinates all foreign and domestic policy of the Union. It exercises
immense control over administration, finance, legislation, military, etc. The Head of the Union
Cabinet is the prime minister. The current prime minister of India is Narendra Modi.

State Governments

India has a federal form of government, and hence each state also has its own government. The
executive of each state is the governor (equivalent to the president of India), whose role is
ceremonial. The real power resides with the chief minister (equivalent to the prime minister) and
the State Council of Ministers. States may either have a unicameral or bicameral legislature,
varying from state to state. The chief minister and other state ministers are also members of the
legislature.

Nepotism in Indian Politics

Since the 1980s, Indian politics has become dynastic, possibly due to the absence of a party
organization, independent civil society associations that mobilize support for the party, and
centralized financing of elections.[4] This phenomenon is seen from national level down to
district level. One example of dynastic politics has been the Nehru–Gandhi family which
produced three Indian prime ministers. Family members have also led the Congress party for
most of the period since 1978 when Indira Gandhi floated the then Congress(I) faction of the
party.[18] The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also features several senior leaders who are
dynasts.[19] Dynastic politics is prevalent also in a number of political parties with regional
presence such as All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Desiya Murpokku Dravida
Kazhagam (DMDK), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Indian National Congress (INC), Indian
National Lok Dal (INLD), Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), Jammu and Kashmir
Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(s)), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
(JMM), National People's Party (NPP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Pattali Makkal Katchi
(PMK), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Shiromani
Akali Dal (SKD), Shiv Sena (SS), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Telugu Desam Party
(TDP).[20]

See also

Government of India

State governments of India

Law of India

Indian political scandals

Disqualification of convicted representatives in India

Political families of India

List of think tanks in India

History of democracy in ancient India

High command culture

References

1. M. Lakshmikanth 2012, pp. 389–390.

2. "General Election 2014" (http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/GE2014/ge.html) . Election Commission of India.

Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20140523005228/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/GE2014/ge.ht
ml) from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

3. "Need for accountability in politics of dynasty" (http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/need-for

-accountability-in-politics-of-dynasty.html) . www.dailypioneer.com. Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20170117002832/http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/need-for-accountability-in-poli
tics-of-dynasty.html) from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.

4. Chhibber⇑, Pradeep (March 2013). "Dynastic parties Organization, finance and impact". Party Politics.
19 (2): 277–295. doi:10.1177/1354068811406995 (https://doi.org/10.1177%2F135406881140699
5) . S2CID 144781444 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:144781444) .

5. Chander 2001, pp. 389–390.

 6. Krzysztof Iwanek (2 November 2016). "The Curious Stories of Indian Party Symbols" (https://thediplo
mat.com/2016/11/the-curioudifaidfefiwuufs-stories-of-indian-party-symbols/) . The Diplomat.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170419193824/https://thediplomat.com/2016/11/the-curio
us-stories-of-indian-party-symbols/) from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.

7. "Election Commission Of India Press Note" (http://eci.nic.in/archive/press/current/PN05122k.htm) .

Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160305090629/http://eci.nic.in/archive/press/current/PN05
122k.htm) from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2014.

8. Hicken & Kuhonta 2014, p. 205.

9. "INDIANMIRROR- Political Corruption in India" (https://www.indianmirror.com/corruption/political-corr

uption.html) .

10. "How political parties choose their candidates to win elections" (https://www.hindustantimes.com/opi
nion/how-political-parties-choose-their-candidates-to-win-elections/story-26nqJKdMEQfYm8Uq29tbw
J.html) . Hindustan Times (26 March 2018). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2019042218471
8/https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/how-political-parties-choose-their-candidates-to-win-elec
tions/story-26nqJKdMEQfYm8Uq29tbwJ.html) from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April
2019.

11. Vaishnav, Milan (10 December 2011). "Caste Politics, Credibility and Criminality: Political Selection in
India". SSRN 1899847 (https://ssrn.com/abstract=1899847) .

12. "Welcome to Embassy of India, Washington D C, USA" (https://web.archive.org/web/2012012615440

2/https://www.indianembassy.org/India_Review/2009/June%202009.pdf) (PDF).
www.indianembassy.org. Archived from the original (https://www.indianembassy.org/) on 26
January 2012.

13. Priyanka Shah (1 November 2014). "13 Amazing Facts about Atal Ji, the Bhishma Pitamah of Indian
Politics" (http://topyaps.com/n-amazing-facts-about-atalji-the-bhishma-pitamah-of-indian-politics) .
Topyaps. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20140911030525/http://topyaps.com/n-amazing-fac
ts-about-atalji-the-bhishma-pitamah-of-indian-politics) from the original on 11 September 2014.
Retrieved 16 May 2014.

14. "Anti-Terrorism Legislation" (https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/asia/india-bck1121.htm) .

Human rights watch. 20 November 2001. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170703041343/ht
tps://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/asia/india-bck1121.htm) from the original on 3 July 2017.
Retrieved 6 August 2019.

15. Guha 2008, pp. 637 (https://archive.org/details/indiaaftergandhi00guha_300/page/n347) –659.

 16. "Shiv Sainiks will maintain peace post-Ayodhya verdict: Uddhav" (https://web.archive.org/web/201403
03165635/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai/shiv-sainiks-will-maintain-peace-post
-ayodhya-verdict-uddhav/article1-603031.aspx) . Hindustan Times. HT Media Ltd. Archived from the
original (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai/shiv-sainiks-will-maintain-peace-post-a
yodhya-verdict-uddhav/article1-603031.aspx) on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.

17. Wax, Emily (24 July 2008). "With Indian Politics, the Bad Gets Worse" (https://www.washingtonpost.co
m/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303390.html) . The Washington Post. Archived (h
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20121108050648/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/articl
e/2008/07/23/AR2008072303390.html) from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 22 May
2010.

18. Basu & Chandra 2016, p. 136.

19. "Is the BJP less dynastic than the Congress? Not so, Lok Sabha data shows" (https://scroll.in/article/9
18234/is-the-bjp-less-dynastic-than-the-congress-not-so-lok-sabha-data-shows) .

20. Chandra 2016, pp. 131, 136.

Bibliography
M. Lakshmikanth (2012). Public Administration (https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN97800710
74827) (9th ed.). Tata Mcgraw Hill. ISBN 978-0071074827. OCLC 1039277322 (https://www.worldcat.o
rg/oclc/1039277322) .

Chander, Prakash (2001). "Nature of Party System in India". Comparative Politics & International
Relations (https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN8177290355) . Cosmos Bookhive. pp. 129–134.
ISBN 817729035-5.

Hicken, Allen; Kuhonta, Erik Martinez (29 December 2014). Party System Institutionalization in Asia:
Democracies, Autocracies, and the Shadows of the Past (https://books.google.com/books?id=GZmiBQA
AQBAJ&pg=PR13) . Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-04157-8.

Guha, Ramachandra (2008). India after Gandhi : the history of the world's largest democracy (https://arch
ive.org/details/indiaaftergandhi00guha_300) (Indian ed.). India: Picador. ISBN 9780330505543.

Basu, Amrita; Chandra, Kanchan (2016). Democratic Dynasties: State, Party and Family in Contemporary
Indian Politics (https://books.google.com/books?id=tesIDAAAQBAJ&q=sonia&pg=PR10) (1 ed.).
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-12344-1. Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20191110030054/https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tesIDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1
0&dq=%22political+dynasties%22+india&ots=panvSUPVV9&sig=rBLRMVvTQ2f7mX6q3bm6Gj6eyfw#v=o
nepage&q=sonia&f=false) from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2016.

Chandra, Kanchan (28 April 2016). Democratic Dynasties: State, Party, and Family in Contemporary
Indian Politics (https://books.google.com/books?id=VwbFDAAAQBAJ&pg=PR10) . Cambridge
University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-59212-0.
 Further reading

Chowdhuri, Satyabrata Rai. Leftism in India, 1917-1947 (http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PI

D=278315) . Palgrave, U.K., 2007.

Shively, W. Phillips. Power and Choice: An Introduction to Political Science—Chapter 14 Example:

Parliamentary Government in India. McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008. ISBN 978-0-07-340391-5

Mitra, Subrata K. and Singh, V.B.. Democracy and Social Change in India: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of
the National Electorate. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1999. ISBN 81-7036-809-X (India HB) ISBN 0-7619-
9344-4 (U.S. HB).

Shourie, Arun (2007). The parliamentary system: What we have made of it, what we can make of it. New
Delhi: Rupa & Co.

Shourie, Arun (2005). Governance and the sclerosis that has set in. New Delhi: ASA Publications.

Tawa Lama-Rewal, Stéphanie. "Studying Elections in India: Scientific and Political Debates" (http://samaj.
revues.org/index2784.html) . South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 3, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Politics of India.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Politics of India

Outline of the Indian Government (http://india.gov.in/)

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Politics_of_India&oldid=1060201558"

Last edited 12 days ago by 216.249.49.40