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 in the world.
The President of India is the ceremonial head of state of the country and supreme commander-in-chief for all defense forces in India, after a President is chosen by the Lok Sabha's government, the President becomes a partyless person. They are usually from the Lok Sabha's(Lower house of the Parliament) leading party. 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. 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 oversees the rule of law via their appointed governors, who can temporarily assume control of the State's executive on their advice. This occurs when elected officials fail to maintain peace, leading to chaos. If needed, the President can dissolve the current State government and call for new elections.
The Republic of India has instituted universal suffrage since independence from the British Raj, with the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1949.
Results in history 1951–52 Indian general election
Latest election
Full entry 2024 Indian general election
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
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.
Elections ensure the conduct of members pre-elections, during elections, and post-elections is as per the statutory legislation.
All election-related disputes are handled by the Election Commission. The Supreme Court of India has held that where the enacted laws are silent or make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission has the residuary powers under the Constitution to act as appropriate. The first chief election Commissioner was Sukumar Sen.
The elections for the President and Vice President of India, the Rajya Sabha (council of states) and Lok Sabha (house of the people), State Legislative Assemblies (including Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Puducherry), and State Legislative Councils are conducted by the Election Commission of India.
State Election Commissions The State Election Commission (SEC) is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering elections to the 3rd tier of governance, i.e., the Local Government, which includes the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the Urban Local Bodies. As per the constitutional provision, superintendence, direction, and control of the conduct of Elections to Urban & Rural Local bodies vest in State Election Commission.
State Election Commission consists of a State Election Commissioner, who is appointed by the Governor for a fixed tenure of 5 years and cannot be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court.
The elections to local self-government institutions, such as panchayats and municipalities, are conducted by the respective State Election Commissions (SECs).
List of State Election Commissions
Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission
Arunachal Pradesh State Election Commission
Assam State Election Commission
Bihar State Election Commission
Chhattisgarh State Election Commission
Delhi State Election Commission
Goa State Election Commission
Gujarat State Election Commission
Haryana State Election Commission
Himachal Pradesh State Election Commission
Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commission
Jharkhand State Election Commission
Karnataka State Election Commission
Kerala State Election Commission
Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission
Maharashtra State Election Commission
Manipur State Election Commission
Meghalaya State Election Commission
Mizoram State Election Commission
Nagaland State Election Commission
Odisha State Election Commission
Puducherry State Election Commission
Punjab State Election Commission
Rajasthan State Election Commission
Sikkim State Election Commission
Tamil Nadu State Election Commission
Telangana State Election Commission
Tripura State Election Commission
Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission
Uttarakhand State Election Commission
West Bengal State Election Commission
Types of elections Elections in the Republic of India include elections for President of India, Vice President of India, Members of the Parliament in Lok Sabha (Lower house) Members of the Parliament in Rajya Sabha (Upper house), Members of State Legislative Assemblies (Lower house) Members of State Legislative Councils (Upper house/Bicameral house) Members of Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Members of Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Puducherry Members of local governance bodies (Municipal bodies and Panchayats), A By-election is held when a seat-holder of a particular constituency dies, resigns, or is disqualified.
Rajya Sabha (Upper House) Elections
The Rajya Sabha, also known as the Council of States, is the upper house of India's Parliament. Candidates are not elected directly by the citizens but by the members of legislative assemblies and up to 13 can be nominated by the President of India for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services. Members of the Parliament in Rajya Sabha get a tenure of six years, with one-third of the body facing re-election every two years. Rajya Sabha acts as a second-level review body before a bill becomes an act.
The Vice President of India is the ex-officio Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions.
The legislative proposals (making new laws, removing, or appending new conditions to the existing law) are brought before either house of the Parliament in the form of a bill. A bill is the draft of a legislative proposal, which, when passed by both houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha) and assented to by the President, becomes an Act of Parliament.
The Constitution of India, however, places some restrictions on the Rajya Sabha, which makes the Lok Sabha more powerful in certain areas. For example, it stipulates that money bills must originate in the Lok Sabha.
Members of Rajya Sabha debate bills sent by the Lok Sabha and can approve, reject, or send the bill back to the Lok Sabha for further debate and discussion on the matter, as well as to suggest better changes in the drafted bill. Members of the Rajya Sabha can only make recommendations to the Lok Sabha for money bills within 14 days. If the Rajya Sabha fails to return the money bill in 14 days to the Lok Sabha, that bill is deemed to have passed by both the houses. Also, if the Lok Sabha rejects any (or all) of the amendments proposed by the Rajya Sabha, the bill is deemed to have been passed by both Houses of Parliament of India in the form in which the Lok Sabha finally passes it. Parliamentary general elections (Lok Sabha) Members of Lok Sabha (House of the People), or the lower house of India's Parliament, are elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of India (who crossed 18 years of age) from a set of candidates who contest in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the Lok Sabha elections are called 'Members of Parliament, Lok Sabha' and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the President on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chambers of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi, on matters relating to the creation of new laws and removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place once in 5 years to elect 543 members for the Lok Sabha (Lower house).
General election results (Lok Sabha)
History of Lok Sabha elections
+Lok Sabha electionsLok SabhaTotal SeatsFirstSecondThirdPolitical partySeatsPercentage of votesPolitical partySeatsPercentage of votesPolitical partySeatsPercentage of votes1st489Indian National Congressrowspan=4 36444.99%Communist Party of Indiarowspan=3 163.29%Socialist Party1210.59%2nd494Indian National Congress37147.78%Communist Party of India278.92%Praja Socialist Party1910.41%3rd494Indian National Congress36144.72%Communist Party of India299.94%Swatantra Party187.89%4th520Indian National Congress28340.78%Swatantra Party448.67%Bharatiya Jana Sangh359.31%5th518Indian National Congress (R) 35243.68%Communist Party of India (Marxist)255.12%Communist Party of India234.73%6th542Janata Party29541.32%Indian National Congress (R)15434.52%Communist Party of India (Marxist)rowspan=3 224.29%7th529Indian National Congress (Indira)35342.69%Janata Party (Secular)419.39%Communist Party of India (Marxist)376.24%8th541Indian National Congress (Indira)rowspan=3 41448.12%Telugu Desam Party304.06%Communist Party of India (Marxist)225.72%9th529Indian National Congress (Indira)19739.53%Janata Dal14317.79%Bharatiya Janata Party8511.36%10th534Indian National Congress (Indira)24436.40%Bharatiya Janata Party12020.07%Janata Dalrowspan=2 5911.73%11th543Bharatiya Janata Partyrowspan=3 16120.29%Indian National Congress (Indira)14028.80%Janata Dal468.08%12th543Bharatiya Janata Party18225.59%Indian National Congressrowspan=2 14125.82%Communist Party of India (Marxist)rowspan=3 325.16%13th543Bharatiya Janata Party18223.75%Indian National Congress11428.30%Communist Party of India (Marxist)335.40%14th543Indian National Congressrowspan=2 14526.53%Bharatiya Janata Partyrowspan=2 13822.16%Communist Party of India (Marxist)435.66%15th543Indian National Congress20628.55%Bharatiya Janata Party11618.80%Samajwadi Party233.23%16th543Bharatiya Janata Partyrowspan=3 28231.34%Indian National Congressrowspan=3 4419.52%All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam373.31%17th543Bharatiya Janata Party30337.70%Indian National Congress5219.67%Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam242.36%18th543Bharatiya Janata Party24036.56%Indian National Congress9921.19%Samajwadi Party374.58%
State Assembly elections