| Country
name |
: |
Conventional
long form: Republic of India
Conventional short form: India |
 |
| Government type |
: |
Federal
republic |
| Capital |
: |
New
Delhi |
| Administrative divisions |
: |
28
states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*,
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*,
Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*,
Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa,
Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura,
Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal |
| Independence |
: |
15
August 1947 (from UK) |
| National holiday |
: |
Republic
Day, 26 January (1950) |
| Constitution |
: |
26
January 1950; amended many times |
| Legal system |
: |
Based
on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations;
separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians,
and Hindus |
| Suffrage |
: |
18
years of age; universal |
| Executive branch |
: |
Chief
of state: President A.P.J. Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002);
Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002)
Head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since NA
May 2004)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on
the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting
of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures
of the states for a five-year term; election last held July
2002 (next to be held 18 July 2007); vice president elected
by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election
last held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August 2007); prime
minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party
following legislative elections; election last held April
- May 2004 (next to be held May 2009)
Election results: Abdul KALAM elected president; percent of
electoral college vote - 89.6%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT elected
vice president; percent of Parliament vote - 59.8% |
| Legislative branch |
: |
Bicameral
Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or
Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members,
up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder
are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial
assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's
Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote,
2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through
10 May 2004 (next to be held 2009)
Election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - INC 145, BJP 138, CPI(M) 43, SP 36,
RJD 24, BSP 19, DMK 16, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 9, JDU
8, SAD 8, PMK 6, TDP 5, TRS 5, JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, independents
5, other 30 |
| Judicial branch |
: |
Supreme
Court (judges are appointed by the president and remain in
office until they reach the age of 65) |
| Flag description |
: |
Three
equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top),
white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered
in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has
a small orange disk centered in the white band |
|
