There are 26 states and 6 Union territories in the country. The
system of government in states closely resembles that of the Union.
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 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. |
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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.
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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.
President
The President is elected by members of an Electoral College
consisting of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and
Legislative Assemblies of the states, with suitable weightage given
to each vote. His term of office is five years.mong other powers,
the President can proclaim an emergency in the country if he is
satisfied that the security of the country or of any part of its
territory is threatened whether by war or external aggression or
armed rebellion. When there is a failure of the constitutional
machinery in a state, he can assume to himself all or any of the
functions of the government of that state.
Vice-President
The Vice-President is elected by the members of an electoral college
consisting ofmembers of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with
the system of proportionalrepresentation by means of a single
transferable vote. He holds office for five years. The
Vice-President is Ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers comprises Cabinet Ministers, Minister of
States (independent charge or otherwise) and Deputy Ministers. Prime
Minister communicates all decisions of the Council of Ministers
relating to administration of affairs of the Union and proposals for
legislation to the President. Generally, each department has an
officer designated as secretary to the Government of India to advise
Ministers on policy matters and general administration.
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| There are 26 states and 6 Union territories in the country. |
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The Cabinet
Secretariat has an important coordinating role in decision making at
highest level and operates under direction of Prime Minister.
The Legislative Arm of the Union, called Parliament, consists of the
President, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. All legislation requires
consent of both houses of parliament.However, in case of money
bills, the will of the Lok Sabha always prevails.
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha consists of 245 members. Of these, 233 represent
states and union territories and 12 members are nominated by the
President. Elections to the Rajya Sabha are indirect; members are
elected by the elected members of Legislative Assemblies of the
concerned states. The Rajya Sabha is not subject to dissolution, one
third of its members retire every second year.
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of the people chosen by
direct election on the basis of universal adult suffrage. As of
today, the Lok Sabha consists of 545 members with two
membersnominated by the President to represent the Anglo-Indian
Community. Unless dissolved under unusual circumstances, theterm of
the Lok Sabha is five years.
Political System
A recognised political party has been classified as a National Party
or a State Party. If a political party is recognised in four or more
states, it is considered as a National Party.
The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal, Communist Party of
India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) are the prominent
National Parties in the Country.Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh, Asom
Gana Parishad in Assam, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in Bihar,
Maharashtrwad Gomantak Party in Goa, National Conference in Jammu
and Kashmir, Muslim League in Kerala, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra,
Akali Dal in Punjab, All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, Bahujan Samaj Party and
Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and All-India Forward Block in West
Bengal are the prominent state parties.
