Political structure
India - Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic
The Indian Union - 28 States and seven centrally administered
Union Territories
Form of government - Parliamentary, based on universal adult
franchise
Legislature - Parliament, consists of President and the two
Houses, known as Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and Lok Sabha (House of
the People )
Executive - Consists of President, Vice-President and Council of
Ministers led by the Prime Minister
Judiciary - Independent of executive
Federal System
India, a union of states, is a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic Republic
with a Parliamentary system of Government. The Indian polity is governed
in terms of the Constitution, which was adopted by the Constituent
Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950.
The President is the constitutional head of Executive of the Union.
Real executive power vests in a Council of Ministers with the Prime
Minister as head. Article 74(1) of the Constitution provides that there
shall be a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and
advise the President who shall, in exercise of his functions, act in
accordance with such advice. The Council of Ministers is collectively
responsible to the Lok Sabha, the House of the People.
In the states, the Governor, as the representative of the President, is
the head of Executive, but real executive power rests with the Chief
Minister who heads the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers of
a state is collectively responsible to the elected legislative assembly
of the state.
The Constitution governs the sharing of legislative power between
Parliament and the State Legislatures, and provides for the vesting of
residual powers in Parliament. The power to amend the Constitution also
vests in Parliament.
The Union Executive consists of the President, the Vice-President and
Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head to aid and
advise the President.