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    POLITICAL STRUCTURE

    THE DAWN OF FREEDOM
      Led by Mahatma Gandhi, India after a unique non-violent campaign, threw off the yoke of British rule on August 15, 1947. Free India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, described the moment as a 'tryst with destiny'.

    In less than three years attaining freedom, India had framed a Constitution and declared itself a Republic on January 26, 1950. The Constitution was given shape by some of the finest minds of the country, who ensured for the citizens of India the trinity of justice, liberty and equality. The Constitution was made flexible enough to adjust to the demands of social and economic changes within a democratic framework.

    Adopting the path of democracy, the country held its first elections in 1952 and since then regular elections, to the Parliament as well as State legislatures, have been a central feature of the working of the largest democracy in the world.

    UNION OF INDIA
      India is a Union of twenty eight States and seven centrally administered Union Territories of which one, Delhi, is the National Capital Territory.

    The States are Andra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

    The centrally administered territories are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi (National Capital Territory), Daman and Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry.

    CONSTITUTION
      The Constitution of the Republic came into effect on January 26, 1950.

    The Constitution provides for single and uniform citizenship for the whole nation and confers the right to vote on every person who is a citizen of India and is 18 years of age or older.

    FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
      The Fundamental Rights of every Indian citizen include the freedom of speech, expression, belief, assembly and association, migration, and choice of occupation or trade. These rights also protect every Indian from discrimination on grounds of race, religion, creed or sex, and are enforceable in courts of law.

    GOVERNMENT
      The Legislature :
      India has a parliamentary form of government based on universal adult franchise. The executive authority is responsible to the elected representatives of the people in Parliament for its decisions and actions. Sovereignty rests ultimately with the people.

      Rajya Sabha (Council of States):
      The Council of States consists of not more than 250 members, of whom 12 are nominated by the President of India, and rest elected. It is not subject to dissolution, one-third of its members retiring at the end of every second year.

    The elections to the Council are indirect. The allotted quota of the representatives of each State is elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly of that State, in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. The nominated members are persons with special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service. The Rajya Sabha is presided over by the Vice President of India.

      Lok Sabha (House of the People) :
      The House of the People at present consists of 545 members. Of these 530 are directly elected from the States and 13 from Union Territories. Two members are nominated by the President to represent the Anglo-Indian community.

    Unless dissolved sooner, the term of the House is five years from the date appointed for its first meeting. The Lok Sabha elects its own presiding officer, the Speaker.

      The Executive:
      The President of India is the Head of the State and the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces. He is elected by an electoral college composed of members of both the Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha) and the Legislatures of the constituent States. The President holds office for five years and can be re-elected.

    The President does not exercise any executive power directly. These are exercised by the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, which is collectively responsible to the House of the People.

    The Vice-President is elected jointly by the members of both Houses of Parliament. The person enjoying majority support in the Lok Sabha is appointed Prime Minister by the President. The President appoints other Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister can remain in office only as long as he or she enjoys majority support in Lok Sabha.

      The Judiciary:
      The judiciary is fully independent of the executive. At the apex of the entire judicial system exists the Supreme Court of India. The High Court stands at the head of State's judicial administration.

      The States:
      The States have their own Legislative Assemblies and in certain cases a second Chamber. All members of the Legislative Assemblies are elected by universal adult franchise. The Heads of the States are called Governors. Appointed by the President, they normally exercise the same powers in the States as the President does in the Union Government. As in the Central Government, each State has a Cabinet headed by the Chief Minister responsible to the elected State Legislature.

      Election Commission:
      The electoral machinery is centralized in an independent statutory body called the Election Commission. The Commission is responsible for the superintendence, direction and control of the electoral rolls for all elections to Parliament and to the State Legislatures and also for conducting the elections.