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