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Politics of India
Political Institutions & Parties
Republic of India
• A federal republic with a parliamentary system of government
• capital: New Delhi
A federal system
• 26 states and 6 centrally administered Union Territories– 2 states are partially claimed by Pakistan and
China
Federal system
• Relatively centralized
• federal government controls the most essential government functions– defense– foreign policy– taxation– public expenditures– economic (industrial) planning
Federal system
• state governments formally control– agriculture– education– law and order within states– dependent on central government for funds
Federal system
• Balance of power between central and state governments– varies by time and place– state power was constrained
• during the rule of Nehru and Indira Gandhi
– state governments have more room to maneuver
• when central government is weak• since 1998
Federal system
• considerable center-state conflict when ruling political party in a state is different from national ruling party
Parallel state structure
• Formal political structure of the states parallels that of the national government
• national state
• President Governor
• Prime Minister Chief Minister
• Parliament Assembly
• Supreme Court High Court
The legislature
• Parliamentary system of government– the executive authority is responsible to the
Parliament
The legislature
• bicameral Parliament– Rajya Sabha (Council of States)– Lok Sabha (House of the People)
Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
• The Upper House
Upper House
• Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
• not more than 250 members– 12 are nominated by the President of India– the rest are indirectly elected
• by state Legislative Assemblies
• The Council of States can not be dissolved– members have terms of 6 years– 1/3 members retire at end of every 2nd year
Lok Sabha
• House of the People
Lower House
• Lok Sabha (House of the People)
• 545 members– 2 are appointed by the President of India– the rest are directly elected from single-
member districts
• 5-year terms unless dissolved
• Lok Sabha elects its presiding officer– the Speaker
Lok Sabha
• Elections held at least every 5 years
• Prime Minister may call elections earlier
• 543 single-member districts of roughly equal population
• party nomination
• 1st-past-the-post– winner-take-all
• women’s share
Elections to Lok Sabha
• Vote share of 3 major political parties
Current composition
• 43 parties in the 13th Lok Sabha (1999)
• 39 parties in the 14th Lok Sabha (2004)
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 184 138
• Indian National Congress (INC) 109 145
• Communist Party of India (M) 34 43
• other political parties 218 217
• total 545 543
Indian National Congress
• India’s oldest political party– since 1885
• India’s premier political party– until 1990s
• in 1960s many regional parties started challenging INC’s monopoly on power
Indian National Congress
• Indira Gandhi– created a top-down structure– party leaders appoint party officials– some limited party elections
• left-of-center, pro-poor political platform
Indian National Congress
• INC moved toward the ideological center– Beginning in 1984
• INC today tilts right-of-center– economic efficiency– business interests– limited government spending
Indian National Congress
• INC has always attracted support from diverse social groups
• in the 1990s INC has lost some of its traditional constituencies among the poor and Muslims
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• The major political party in India today
• right-leaning, Hindu-nationalist party– first major party to mobilize explicitly on the
basis of religious identity
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• better organized than INC– disciplined party members– carefully selected party cadres– clear and respected authority line within the
party
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Traditional supporters– urban, lower-middle-class groups
• base of support widened since mid-1980s– Hindu nationalism– north-central India– decline of Indian National Congress– Muslims as convenient scapegoat for
frustration
BJP’s rapid rise to power
• electoral success from 1989 to 1999– difficulty in forming alliance with other parties
• break with past traditions– relatively moderate, centrist position
• BJP formed governing coalition in 1998– collapsed in 1999
• BJP formed a new coalition in 1999– more broadly based than previous coalition
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• economic liberalization and stability
• privilege the interests of the Hindu majority
Prime Minister
• Leader of the majority party leader in Lok Sabha becomes the prime minister
• prime minister nominates a cabinet– members of Parliament in the ruling coalition– Council of Ministers
• effective power is concentrated in the office of the prime minister– where most of the important policies originate
Prime Ministers of India
• 38 years in the Nehru-Gandhi family
• more and more rapid turnover
The President of India
• Head of the State
• Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces
• elected by an electoral college– national Parliament– state legislature
• 5-year terms
• can be reelected
The President of India
• Ceremonial office– symbolize national unity– supposedly above partisan politics
• mostly acts on the advice of the prime minister
• President plays a significant role when the selection of a prime minister is complex– in 1998 President requested BJP to form govt.
The Judiciary
• Fundamental contradiction in constitution– principle of parliamentary sovereignty– principle of judicial review
The Judiciary
• judiciary tries to preserve the constitution’s basic structure
• to ensure that legislation conforms with the intent of the constitution
• parliament tries to assert its right to amend the constitution
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