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Background |
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Description :
Politics in India takes place within the framework of a constitution. India is a federal parliamentary democratic republic in which the President of India is head of state and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government. India follow the dual polity, i.e. double government which consists of the union at the centre and states at the periphery. The constitution defines the organisation, powers and limitations of both central and state governments, it is written, rigid and supreme, i.e. laws of the nation must conform to it. There is provision for a bicameral legislature consisting of an Upper House, i.e. Rajya Sabha, which represent the states of the Indian federation and a lower house i.e. Lok Sabha, that represents the people of India as a whole. Indian constitution provides for an independent Judiciary headed by the Supreme Court to adhere and protect the constitution and to settle disputes between the centre and the states or between the states, it can also nullify any central or state laws if they are against the constitution.
The governments,union or state, are formed through elections held every five years(unless otherwise specified), by having the majority of members in their respective lower houses (Lok Sabha in centre and Vidhan Sabha in states). India had its first general election in 1951, which was dominated by Indian National Congress, and went on to dominate the successive elections, up till 1977, when the first non-Congress government was formed for the first time in independent India. The 1990s saw the end of Single Party domination and rise of Coalition Governments. The elections for 16th Lok Sabha are to be held in April 2014.
Alliances
There are three alliances on a national level in India, competing with each other for the position of Government. The member parties work in harmony for gratifying national interests, although a party can jump ships whenever it may deem fit.
The three alliances
United Progressive Alliance(UPA) – Centre-Left coalition led by INC, this alliance was created after the 2004 General Elections, with the alliance forming the Government. The alliance even after losing some of its members, was reelected in 2009 General Elections with Manmohan Singh as head of the government.
National Democratic Alliance(NDA) – Centre-Right coalition led by BJP was formed in 1998 after the elections, NDA formed the government although the government didn’t last long as AIADMK withdrew support from it resulting in 1999 general elections, in which NDA won and resumed power. The coalition government went on to complete the full five years term, becoming the first non-Congress government to do so.
Third front – The coalition of parties which do not belong to any of the above camps due to certain issues. One of the major parties in the alliance CPI(M), prior to 2009 General Elections was a member party of the UPA. The alliance has no official leading party.
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