India has a parliamentary system as defined by its constitution, with power distributed
between the union government and the states. India's democracy is the
largest democracy in the world.[1]
The President of India is the ceremonial head of state of the country and supreme
commander-in-chief for all defense forces in India. However, it is the Prime Minister of
India, who is the leader of the party or political alliance having a majority in the national
elections to the Lok Sabha (Lower house of the Parliament). The Prime Minister is the
leader of the legislative branch of the Government of India. The Prime Minister is the
head of the Union Council of Ministers.
India is regionally divided into States (and Union Territories) and each State has
a Governor who is the state's head, but the executive authority rests with the Chief
Minister, who is the leader of the party or political alliance that has won a majority in the
regional elections, otherwise known as State Assembly Elections that exercises
executive powers in that State. The respective State's Chief Minister has executive
powers within the State and works jointly with the Prime Minister of India or their
ministers on matters that require both State and Central attention. Some Union
Territories also elect an Assembly and have a territorial government, and other (mainly
smaller) Union Territories are governed by an administrator/lieutenant
governor appointed by the President of India.
The President of India monitors the rule of law through their appointed governors in
each State and on their recommendation, can take over the executive powers from the
Chief Minister of the State temporarily when the elected representatives of the State
government have failed to create a peaceful environment and it has deteriorated into
chaos. The President of India dissolves the existing State government if necessary, and
a new election is conducted.
The Republic of India has instituted universal suffrage since independence from
the British Raj, with the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1949.[2][3][4]
Results in history
1951–52 Indian general election
Party Votes % Seats
Indian National Congress 47,665,951 45.03 364
Socialist Party (India) 11,216,719 10.60 12
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party 6,135,978 5.80 9
Communist Party of India 3,487,401 3.29 16
Bharatiya Jana Sangh 3,246,361 3.07 3
Scheduled Castes Federation 2,521,695 2.38 2
Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad 2,091,898 1.98 3
Krishikar Lok Party 1,489,615 1.41 1
People's Democratic Front (Hyderabad) 1,367,404 1.29 7
Shiromani Akali Dal 1,047,611 0.99 4
Party Votes % Seats
Hindu Mahasabha 1,003,034 0.95 4
Peasants and Workers Party of India 992,187 0.94 2
All India Forward Bloc 963,058 0.91 1
All India Ganatantra Parishad 959,749 0.91 6
Tamil Nadu Toilers' Party 889,292 0.84 4
Jharkhand Party 749,702 0.71 3
Revolutionary Socialist Party (India) 468,108 0.44 3
Commonweal Party 325,398 0.31 3
Lok Sewak Sangh 309,940 0.29 2
Zamindar Party 291,300 0.28 0
Party Votes % Seats
Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party 236,094 0.22 1
Uttar Pradesh Praja Party 213,656 0.20 0
S.K. Paksha 137,343 0.13 0
All India Forward Bloc (Ruikar) 133,936 0.13 0
Kamgar Kisan Paksha 132,574 0.13 0
Tribal Sangha 116,629 0.11 0
Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress 115,893 0.11 1
Kerala Socialist Party 102,098 0.10 0
Indian Union Muslim League 79,470 0.08 1
Revolutionary Communist Party of India 67,275 0.06 0
Party Votes % Seats
Justice Party (India) 63,254 0.06 0
All India United Kisan Sabha 60,254 0.06 0
All People's Party (Assam) 36,851 0.03 0
Tamil Nadu Congress Party 36,158 0.03 0
Khasi-Jaintia Durbar 32,987 0.03 0
Saurashtra Khedut Sangh 29,766 0.03 0
Bolshevik Party of India 25,792 0.02 0
All Manipur National Union 22,083 0.02 0
Uttar Pradesh Revolutionary Socialist Party 20,665 0.02 0
Hill People Party 17,350 0.02 0
Party Votes % Seats
Krishak Sramik Party 16,955 0.02 0
Kuki National Association 12,155 0.01 0
Punjab Depressed Class League 11,789 0.01 0
Pursharathi Panchayat 10,778 0.01 0
Cochin Party 8,947 0.01 0
Kisan Mazdoor Mandal 8,808 0.01 0
Hyderabad State Praja Party 7,646 0.01 0
Gandhi Sebak Seva 7,196 0.01 0
Kisan Janta Sanyukta Party 6,390 0.01 0
National Party of India 3,232 0.00 0
Party Votes % Seats
Historical Research 1,468 0.00 0
Independents 16,850,089 15.92 37
Appointed members 0 0.00 10
105,847,98
Total 100.00 499
2
Latest election
Full entry 2024 Indian general election
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
National Democratic Bharatiya Janata Party 235,974,14 38.42 240
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
Alliance 4
Telugu Desam Party 12,775,270 2.08 16
Janata Dal (United) 8,039,663 1.31 12
Shiv Sena 7,401,447 1.21 7
Lok Janshakti Party
2,810,250 0.46 5
(Ram Vilas)
Janata Dal (Secular) 2,173,701 0.35 2
Jana Sena Party 1,454,138 0.24 2
Rashtriya Lok Dal 893,460 0.15 2
All Jharkhand Students
458,677 0.07 1
Union
Nationalist Congress
2,059,179 0.34 1
Party
United People's Party
488,995 0.08 1
Liberal
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha 164,396 0.03 1
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
Apna Dal (Soneylal) 808,245 0.13 1
Asom Gana Parishad 1,298,707 0.21 1
Hindustani Awam
494,960 0.08 1
Morcha
Pattali Makkal Katchi 1,879,689 0.31 0
Bharath Dharma Jana
505,753 0.08 0
Sena
Tamil Maanila Congress 410,401 0.07 0
Amma Makkal Munnettra
521,787 0.08 0
Kazhagam
National People's Party 417,930 0.07 0
Naga People's Front 299,536 0.05 0
Nationalist Democratic
350,967 0.06 0
Progressive Party
Rashtriya Lok Morcha 253,876 0.04 0
Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 467,282 0.08 0
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
Suheldev Bharatiya
340,188 0.06 0
Samaj Party
Independent 342,882 0.06 0
283,085,52
Total 46.09 293
3
Indian National 136,759,06
Indian National Congress 22.27 99
Developmental 4
Inclusive Alliance
Samajwadi Party 29,549,381 4.81 37
All India Trinamool
28,213,393 4.59 29
Congress
Dravida Munnetra
11,754,710 1.91 22
Kazhagam
Communist Party of India
11,342,553 1.85 4
(Marxist)
Rashtriya Janata Dal 10,107,402 1.65 4
Shiv Sena (Uddhav
9,567,779 1.56 9
Balasaheb Thackeray)
Aam Aadmi Party 7,147,800 1.16 3
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
Nationalist Congress
Party - Sharadchandra 5,921,162 0.96 8
Pawar
Communist Party of India 3,157,184 0.51 2
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha 2,652,955 0.43 3
Communist Party of India
(Marxist–Leninist) 1,736,771 0.28 2
Liberation
Indian Union Muslim
1,716,186 0.28 3
League
Jammu and Kashmir
1,147,041 0.19 2
National Conference
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal
990,237 0.16 2
Katchi
Bharat Adivasi Party 1,257,056 0.20 1
Kerala Congress 364,631 0.06 1
Marumalarchi Dravida
542,213 0.09 1
Munnetra Kazhagam
Rashtriya Loktantrik 596,955 0.10 1
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
Party
Revolutionary Socialist
587,363 0.10 1
Party
All India Forward Bloc 289,941 0.05 0
Jammu and Kashmir
Peoples Democratic 435,980 0.07 0
Party
Vikassheel Insaan Party 1,187,455 0.19 0
Assam Jatiya Parishad 414,441 0.07 0
Kerala Congress (Mani) 277,365 0.05 0
283,085,30
Total 46.09 234
8
YSR Congress Party 13,316,039 2.17 4
Shiromani Akali Dal 1,814,318 0.30 1
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen 1,400,215 0.23 1
Zoram People's Movement 208,552 0.03 1
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) 691,820 0.11 1
Voice of the People Party (Meghalaya) 571,078 0.09 1
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 8,952,587 1.46 0
Bahujan Samaj Party 13,153,818 2.14 0
Karnataka Rashtra Samithi 51,529 0.01 0
Biju Janata Dal 9,413,379 1.53 0
Uttama Prajaakeeya Party 40,491 0.01 0
Bharat Rashtra Samithi 3,657,237 0.60 0
Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) 521,749 0.08 0
Indian National Lok Dal 226,975 0.04 0
Jannayak Janta Party 113,827 0.02 0
Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam 1,128,616 0.18 0
Gondwana Ganatantra Party 0 0.00 0
All India United Democratic Front 625,954 0.10 0
Party or alliance Votes % Seats
Revolutionary Goans Party 64,578 0.01 0
Sikkim Democratic Front 77,171 0.01 0
Bodoland People's Front 777,570 0.13 0
Mizo National Front 140,264 0.02 0
United Democratic Party (Meghalaya) 44,563 0.01 0
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party 23,268 0.00 0
Other 0 0.00 0
Independents 0 0.00 –
None of the above (India) 6,372,220 1.04 0
614,190,35
Total 100.00 536
9
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous authority of India that is
enacted under the provisions of the Constitution, responsible for monitoring and
administering Union and State election processes in India. This body is responsible for
ensuring elections are free and fair, without any bias. It derived its powers from A 324 of
the constitution [5]
The ECI, established as a permanent Constitutional Body, is entrusted by the
Constitution with the superintendence, direction, and control of the entire electoral
process for Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice
President of India.