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GOVERNMENT
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Related
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INDIA
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Partners
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Country
Name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India
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Government
Type:
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federal
republic |
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Capital:
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New
Delhi |
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Administrative
Divisions:
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25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*,
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*,
Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala,
Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Benga |
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Independence:
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15
August 1947 (from UK) |
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National
Holiday:
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Anniversary
of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950) |
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Constitution:
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26
January 1950 |
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Legal
System :
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based
on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal |
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Executive
Branch:
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chief
of state: President Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN (since 25 July
1997); Vice President Krishnan KANT (since 21 August 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Atal Behari VAJPAYEE
(since 19 March 1998) 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 14 July
1997 (next to be held NA July 2002); vice president elected by
both houses of Parliament; election last held 16 August 1997 (next
to be held NA August 2002); prime minister elected by parliamentary
members of the majority party following legislative elections;
election last held NA March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN elected president;
percent of electoral college voteNA; Krishnan KANT elected vice
president; percent of Parliament voteNA; Atal Behari VAJPAYEE
elected prime minister; percent of voteNA |
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Legislative
Branch:
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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 which 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 Assemblylast held 16 February through
7 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003) election results:
People's Assemblypercent of vote by partyNA; seats by partyBJP
178, Congress (I) Party 141, CPI/M 32, SP 20, ADMK 18, RJD 17,
Telugu Desam 12, SAP 12, CPI 9, BJD 9, Akali Dal factions 8, Trinamool
Congress 7, SHS 6, DMK 6, Janata Dal Party 6, BSP 5, RSP 5, independents
and others 44, vacant 8, appointed by the president 2 |
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Judicial
Branch:
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Supreme
Court, judges are appointed by the president and remain in office
until they reach the age of 65 |
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Political
Parties and Leaders:
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Bharatiya
Janata Party or BJP [Kushabhau THAKRE, president, L. K. ADVANI,
A. B. VAJPAYEE]; Congress (I) Party [Sonia GANDHI, president];
Janata Dal Party [Sharad YADAV, president, I. K. GUJRAL]; Janata
Dal (Ajit) [Ajit SINGH]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad
YADAV]; Communist Party of India/Marxist or CPI/M [Harkishan Singh
SURJEET]; Tamil Maanila Congress [G. K. MOOPANAR]; Dravida Munnetra
Kazagham or DMK (a regional party in Tamil Nadu) [M. KARUNANIDHI];
Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV (president), Om Prakash
CHAUTALA, Devi LAL]; Telugu Desam (a regional party in Andhra
Pradesh) [Chandrababu NAIDU]; Communist Party of India or CPI
[Indrajit GUPTA]; Revolutionary Socialist Party or RSP [Tridip
CHOWDHURY]; Asom Gana Parishad [Prafulla Kumar MAHANTA]; Congress
(Tiwari) [Arjun SINGH and N. D. TIWARI]; All India Forward Bloc
or AIFB [Prem Dutta PALIWAL (chairman), Chitta BASU (general secretary)];
Muslim League [G. M. BANATWALA]; Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress
[Madhavro SCINDIA]; Karnataka Congress Party [S. BANGARAPPA];
Shiv Sena or SHS [Bal THACKERAY]; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [Kanshi
RAM]; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML [Vinod
MISHRA]; Akali Dal factions representing Sikh religious community
in the Punjab; National Conference or NC (a regional party in
Jammu and Kashmir) [Farooq ABDULLAH]; Bihar Peoples Party [Lovely
ANAND]; Samata Party or SAP (formerly Janata Dal members) [George
FERNANDES]; Indian National League [Suliaman SAIT]; Kerala Congress
(Mani faction) [K. M. MANI]; All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
or ADMK [leader NA]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [leader NA]; Trinamool
Congress [leader NA] |
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International
Organization Participation:
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AfDB,
AsDB, BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUA, NAM, OAS (observer),
OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR,
UNMIBH, UNOMIL, UNOMSIL, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO |
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Flag
Description:
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three
equal horizontal bands of 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 |
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