108-716: The Yamuna Action Plan is a bilateral project between the Government of India and Japan, introduced in 1993. It is one of the largest river restoration projects in India. The Government of Japan , via the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), has provided financial aid to carry out the project, which is being executed by the National River Conservation Directorate, the Ministry of Environment and Forests , and
216-454: A writ petition at the filing counter of the court or by addressing a letter to the Chief Justice of India , highlighting the question of public importance for redress. These are known as public interest litigations . India has a quasi-federal form of government, called "union" or "central" government, with elected officials at the union, state and local levels. At the national level,
324-652: A republic with a president as head of state, replacing the monarch and his viceregal representative, the Governor-General . It was based in large part on the Government of India Act 1935 , which was itself based on the uncodified constitution of the United Kingdom . It also drew notable inspirations from the constitutions of several other Commonwealth dominions and the French , Soviet , Japanese , German and American constitutions. India today prides itself in being
432-433: A "fabrication with political motives" and a "witch hunt". At the rally, named "Loktantra Bachao" (Save Democracy), amid current events, the opposition tried to frame the election as being "democracy vs dictatorship". The Congress campaign was launched from Nagpur at a huge rally in which over 1 million people were expected to have attended on 28 December 2023. This rally also marked the 138th Congress Foundation Day and
540-692: A campaign rally, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath described the election as a contest between "devotees of Ram " and "anti-Ram forces" and urged voters to select the former. Modi also accused the opposition of plotting to raze the Ram Mandir temple once they were in power. During a campaign rally in Rajasthan on 21 April, Narendra Modi accused the Congress party of prioritizing Muslim access to national wealth and planning to distribute resources among "those who have more children" and "infiltrators" once it
648-502: A constitutional crisis. Thus, in practice, the Council of Ministers cannot be dismissed as long as it holds the support of a majority in the Lok Sabha . The President is responsible for appointing many high officials in India. These high officials include the governors of the 28 states ; the chief justice ; other judges of the supreme court and high courts on the advice of other judges;
756-642: A construction firm based in Hyderabad that bought electoral bonds worth over 12 billion rupees ($ 144 million) between 2019 and 2024 and made donations to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the BJP, and the Congress Party, who alternated in ruling Telangana during that time. Some politicians from the opposition have termed Electoral Bonds a "scam" and an "extortion racket". In response to allegations regarding
864-478: A member of one of the houses of the parliament. The cabinet is headed by the prime minister , and is advised by the cabinet secretary , who also acts as the head of the Indian Administrative Service and other civil services. Other members of the council are either union cabinet ministers, who are heads of various ministries; or ministers of state, who are junior members who report directly to one of
972-684: A panic-filled "hate speech" and a ploy to divert attention from the opposition outperforming the BJP during the first phase of the election, while officials in Rajasthan received complaints from the Azad Adhikar Sena and a non-profit organisation demanding Modi's arrest and for his campaign to be suspended. A complaint letter by the Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan (Save the Constitution Citizens' Campaign) organisation to
1080-576: A part of its separate youth manifesto, the Congress -led INDIA bloc promised to fill in the 3 million vacancies in government jobs and bring in the "Right to Apprenticeship", in which any diploma and degree holder up to the age of 25 can demand employment for one year and they will get a one-year salary of ₹100,000 for the term of the job. The BJP prepared a pamphlet for the Ram Mandir Inauguration Programmes to connect with families across
1188-588: A plea by the Confederation of Indian Industry , the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry , and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India from divulging the identities of donors. Initial reports suggest that among the leading donors to political parties were some of India's largest firms such as Vedanta Limited , Bharti Airtel , RPSG Group and Essel Mining. It also found that
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#17328521528671296-426: A population of 1.4 billion people were eligible to vote, equivalent to 70 percent of the total population. 642 million voters participated in the election; 312 million of these were women, the highest ever participation by women voters. This was the largest-ever election, surpassing the previous election , and lasted 44 days, second only to the 1951–52 Indian general election . The legislative assembly elections in
1404-471: A quarter of the 543 elected members of parliament had been charged with crimes, including murder. Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved high-level government officials, including cabinet ministers and chief ministers, such as the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam ( ₹ 700 billion (equivalent to ₹ 1.6 trillion or US$ 19 billion in 2023)), the Adarsh Housing Society scam ,
1512-507: A vote in the house where he is not a member. A secretary to the Government of India , a civil servant , generally an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is the administrative head of the ministry or department, and is the principal adviser to the minister on all matters of policy and administration within the ministry/department. Secretaries to the Government of India rank 23rd on Indian order of precedence . Secretaries at
1620-530: A whole is responsible to the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha is a temporary house and can be dissolved only when the party in power loses the support of the majority of the house. The Rajya Sabha is a permanent house and can never be dissolved. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected for a six-year term. The executive of government is the one that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of
1728-515: Is considered the lower house . The parliament does not have complete control and sovereignty , as its laws are subject to judicial review by the Supreme Court . However, it does exercise some control over the executive . The members of the Council of Ministers , including the prime minister , are either chosen from parliament or elected there within six months of assuming office. The council as
1836-503: Is led by the prime minister (currently Narendra Modi since 26 May 2014) who exercises the most executive power and selects all the other ministers . The country has been governed by a NDA -led government (a coalition of the BJP and its allies) since 2014. The prime minister and their senior ministers belong to the Union Council of Ministers —its executive decision-making committee being
1944-470: Is mainly composed of the executive , the legislature , and the judiciary , and powers are vested by the constitution in the prime minister , parliament , and the supreme court , respectively. The president of India is the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces , while the elected prime minister acts as the head of the executive and is responsible for running
2052-575: Is the ex-officio head of the Civil Services Board, the Cabinet Secretariat , the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the head of all civil services under the rules of business of the government. The cabinet secretary is generally the senior-most officer of the Indian Administrative Service . The cabinet secretary ranks 11th on the Indian order of precedence . The cabinet secretary
2160-403: Is the chief executive of the government and the leader of the majority party that holds a majority in the Lok Sabha. The prime minister leads the executive of the Government of India. The prime minister is the senior member of the cabinet in the executive government in a parliamentary system. The prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet; allocates posts to members within
2268-584: Is to act following aid and advice tendered by the Prime Minister, who leads the Council of Ministers as described in Article 74 of the Constitution . The council of ministers remains in power during the 'pleasure' of the president. However, in practice, the council of ministers must retain the support of the Lok Sabha. If a president were to dismiss the council of ministers on his or her initiative, it might trigger
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#17328521528672376-509: Is under the direct charge of the prime minister . Presently, the Cabinet Secretary of India is Rajiv Gauba , IAS . India's independent union judicial system began under the British, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of Anglo-Saxon countries . The Supreme Court of India consists of the chief justice and 33 associate justices, all appointed by the president on the advice of
2484-403: Is usually the directly elected Lok Sabha rather than the (mostly) indirectly elected Rajya Sabha . As is the case in most parliamentary systems, the government is dependent on Parliament to legislate, and general elections are held every five years to elect a new Lok Sabha . The most recent election was in 2024 . After an election, the president selects as prime minister the leader of
2592-530: The 18th Lok Sabha was announced by the Election Commission of India on 16 March 2024 and with it the Model Code of Conduct came into effect. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha was scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. The politics of India became increasingly bipolar in the run-up to the 2024 Indian general elections with two major alliances emerging; the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and
2700-556: The 2014 and 2019 elections . The primary opposition was the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition formed in 2023 by the Indian National Congress (INC) and many regional parties. The election was criticised for lack of action on hate speeches by Modi's BJP, reported electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunctioning, and suppression of political opponents of
2808-486: The Azad Adhikar Sena and a non-profit organisation demanding Modi's arrest and for his campaign to be suspended. Following Modi's speech, the BJP posted an animated video on its official Instagram account reiterating Modi's claims and showing Rahul Gandhi holding a copy of the Congress Party's election manifesto that morphs into the symbol of the All-India Muslim League . After being flagged by multiple users,
2916-481: The Chief Justice of India and 33 sanctioned other judges, it has extensive powers in the form of original , appellate and advisory jurisdictions . As the final court of appeal of the country, it takes up appeals primarily against verdicts of the high courts of various states of the Union and other courts and tribunals. It safeguards fundamental rights of citizens and settles disputes between various governments in
3024-496: The Chief Justice of India . The jury trials were abolished in India in the early 1960s, after the famous case KM Nanavati v. the State of Maharashtra , for reasons of being vulnerable to media and public pressure, as well as to being misled. Unlike its United States counterpart, the Indian justice system consists of a unitary system at both state and union levels. The judiciary consists of
3132-595: The Coal Mining Scam ( ₹ 1.86 trillion (equivalent to ₹ 4.2 trillion or US$ 50 billion in 2023)), the mining scandal in Karnataka and the cash-for-votes scandal . 2024 Indian general election Narendra Modi BJP Narendra Modi BJP General elections were held in India from 19 April to 1 June 2024 in seven phases, to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha . Votes were counted and
3240-655: The Election Commission of India , signed by over 17,400 people, alleged that Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by making a speech "aiming at not only appealing to 'communal feelings' but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims". On 15 February 2024, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the Electoral Bond system of campaign financing that
3348-611: The Government of India Act 1935 (the longest Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom until surpassed by the Greater London Authority Act 1999 ) was aimed at devolution of powers by establishing provincial governments and the creation of civil service institutions . However, it was unpopular amongst Indians and is considered a failure as it did not give Indians self-rule and permanent dominion status (the form of government followed in Canada , Australia and New Zealand ) as
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3456-417: The Indian Armed Forces . The President of India can grant a pardon to or reduce the sentence of a convicted person once, particularly in cases involving the punishment of death. The decisions involving pardoning and other rights by the president are independent of the opinion of the prime minister or the Lok Sabha majority. In most other cases, however, the president exercises his or her executive powers on
3564-486: The Indian diaspora are required to travel back to their home constituencies in order to cast a ballot. For the 2024 election, 968 million people were eligible to vote, an increase of about 150 million people from the 2019 election. In Arunachal Pradesh , a polling station would be set up for the only registered voter in the village of Malogam, as electoral laws stipulate that voting booths need to be within two kilometres (1.2 mi) of any settlement. A polling station
3672-506: The Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by making a speech "aiming at not only appealing to 'communal feelings' but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims". On 14 April 2024, the BJP invited foreign diplomats posted in the country as well as 25 overseas political parties including the Conservative and the Labour parties of
3780-433: The Model Code of Conduct . In the final 48 hours before voting, campaigns are ceased, and measures are implemented to maintain order and prevent disruptions. On polling day, strict rules are enforced to prevent undue influence and ensure a secure and free election process. After the elections, EVMs are sealed and stored under tight security with Booth Level Officers assisting throughout the process. The election schedule for
3888-521: The Montagu - Chelmsford reforms, which introduced a greatly expanded Imperial Legislative Council . It comprised a lower house, the Central Legislative Assembly of 145 members (of which 104 were elected and 41 nominated) and an upper house, the Council of State of 60 members (of which 34 were elected and 26 nominated). The next structural modification to the governance of British India ,
3996-556: The Morley - Minto reforms. The Act introduced elections to the Imperial Legislative Council (then the unicameral Legislature for British India). Before that, governance was carried by an all-European Legislative Council and Viceroy's Executive Council . As such, no Indians were represented in government before 1909. India's current bicameral Parliament has its roots in the Government of India Act 1919 , commonly known as
4104-529: The Supreme Court of India , high courts at the state level, and district courts and Sessions Courts at the district level. The Supreme Court of India is situated in New Delhi , the capital region of India . The Supreme Court is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal under the Constitution of India , the highest constitutional court, with the power of constitutional review . Consisting of
4212-713: The United Kingdom , the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) of Germany and the Awami League of Bangladesh to observe the party's electoral campaign . This initiative is part of the "Know BJP" campaign, aimed at external outreach and familiarisation with the election process . As part of this program, BJP president J. P. Nadda met with envoys from 13 countries. The bloc's first joint rally
4320-598: The West Bengal parliamentary seats on 10 March. In the Left Front , the CPI(M) announced its list first list of 44 candidates contesting from 13 different states on 28 March. The issue of unemployment has been a major problem for the Indian economy, especially affecting the youth. Unemployment in India has been at a 45-year old high. According to a 2022 World Bank report, India's youth unemployment rate stood at 23.2%, whereas
4428-550: The attorney general ; the comptroller and auditor general ; the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners ; the chairman and members of the Union Public Service Commission ; the officers of the All India Services ( IAS , IFoS and IPS ) and Central Civil Services in group 'A'; officers of the Indian Armed Forces ; and the ambassadors and high commissioners to other countries on
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4536-538: The cabinet . The government, seated in New Delhi , has three primary branches: the legislative, the executive and the judiciary, whose powers are vested in a bicameral Parliament , a prime minister , and the Supreme Court respectively, with a president as head of state. The Council of Ministers are responsible to the House in which they sit, they make statements in that House and take questions from fellow members of that House. For most senior ministers this
4644-550: The civil procedure code , the penal code , and the criminal procedure code . Similar to the Union government, individual state governments each consist of executive, legislative and judiciary branches. The legal system as applicable to the Union and individual state governments is based on the English common and Statutory Law . The full name of the country is the Republic of India . India and Bharat are equally official short names for
4752-473: The constitution empowers the union government to levy income tax , tax on capital transactions ( wealth tax , inheritance tax ), sales tax , service tax, customs and excise duties and the state governments to levy sales tax on intrastate sale of goods, taxon entertainment and professions , excise duties on manufacture of alcohol , stamp duties on transfer of property and collect land revenue (levy on land owned). The local governments are empowered by
4860-569: The head of government , the prime minister , is appointed by the president of India from the party or coalition that has the majority of seats in the Lok Sabha . The members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected for a term of five years by universal adult suffrage through a first-past-the-post voting system. Members of the Rajya Sabha , which represents the states , are elected by the members of State legislative assemblies by proportional representation , except for 12 members who are nominated by
4968-518: The BJP for not fulfilling its promise of jobs and neglecting the country's poor and the majority. The alliance jointly held a rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on 17 March, a day after the end of Rahul Gandhi 's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra . The rally was attended by Gandhi, SS(UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray , NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar , RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav , and DMK leader and Tamil Nadu chief minister M. K. Stalin , among many others. At
5076-548: The BJP government's revocation of Jammu and Kashmir 's autonomy enshrined under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019. Despite not having a formal candidate, BJP maintains a presence in the region through their support of local parties The Congress released its first list of 39 candidates on 8 March 2024. Eventually, the twenty-eighth list of one candidate was announced on 7 May. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) announced its list of 42 candidates for
5184-614: The BJP was the recipient of nearly half of all recorded donations. In total, the top five political parties in terms of electoral bonds received are the BJP, which received Rs 6,060.5 crore , the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), which received Rs 1,609.5 crore, the Congress Party, with Rs 1,421.8 crore, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which received Rs 1,214.7 crore, and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which received Rs 775.5 crore. The biggest buyer of electoral bonds
5292-555: The BJP. Opinion surveys of mainstream media outlets projected a decisive victory for the BJP and its coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, the BJP won 240 seats, down from the 303 it had secured in 2019, and lost its singular majority in the Lok Sabha, although the NDA overall secured 293 of the house's 543 seats. The INDIA coalition outperformed expectations, securing 234 seats, 99 of which were won by
5400-474: The Congress, garnering the party the official opposition status for the first time in 10 years. Seven independents and ten candidates from non-aligned parties also won seats in the Lok Sabha. India has a multi-party system with two major parties, namely the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC), that dominate politics at the national level. The BJP has governed
5508-605: The Government of India. Phase I, which began in 1993, marked its end in 2003, even though it was expected to be completed by 2000. The Yamuna Action Plan Project Phase II, begun in 2003, is regarded as the core project under the National River Conservation Plan of Government of India. The project addresses the abatement of severe pollution of the River Yamuna by raising sewage treatment capacity, caused by rapid population growth, industrialization and urbanization in
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#17328521528675616-462: The Government; is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet and is responsible for bringing a proposal of legislation. The resignation or death of the prime minister dissolves the cabinet. The prime minister is appointed by the president to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive. The Union Council of Ministers includes the prime minister, Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State (MoS). Each minister must be
5724-462: The Lok Sabha polls in Odisha after talks with the BJP fell through. Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi was announced as the prime ministerial candidate of the NDA. The INDIA bloc announced that the alliance will decide the Prime Minister after the polls. The BJP announced its first list of 195 candidates on 2 March 2024 and the second list of 72 candidates was published in 13 March, while
5832-414: The Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, saying that the event was politicised into a 'BJP-RSS event'. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the invitation was an opportunity for the Congress to 'reduce its sin', and that history would continue to judge it as 'anti-Hindu'. The four Shankaracharyas also declined attending the event, stating that the ceremony was politicised as a campaign event at
5940-479: The Republic of India in the Constitution, and both names appears on legal banknotes, in treaties and in legal cases. The terms "Union government", "central government" and " bhārat sarkār " are often used officially and unofficially to refer to the government of India. The term New Delhi is commonly used as a metonym for the Union government, as the seat of the central government is in New Delhi . The powers of
6048-428: The Union government. Parliament is bicameral in nature, with the Lok Sabha being the lower house , and the Rajya Sabha the upper house . The judiciary systematically contains an apex supreme court , 25 high courts , and hundreds of district courts , all subordinate to the supreme court. The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set down in major parliamentary legislation, such as
6156-488: The advice of the prime minister. Presently, the President of India is Droupadi Murmu . The vice president is the second-highest constitutional position in India after the president. The vice president represents the nation in the absence of the president and takes charge as acting president in the incident of resignation impeachment or removal of the president. The vice president also has the legislative function of acting as
6264-526: The budget will be presented on the 1st day of February. The budget has to be passed by the Lok Sabha before it can come into effect on 1 April, the start of India's fiscal year . The Union budget is preceded by an economic survey which outlines the broad direction of the budget and the economic performance of the country for the outgoing financial year India's non-development revenue expenditure had increased nearly five-fold in 2003–04 since 1990–91 and more than tenfold from 1985 to 1986. Interest payments are
6372-431: The cabinet ministers, often overseeing a specific aspect of government; or ministers of state (independent charges), who do not report to a cabinet minister. As per article 88 of the constitution, every minister shall have the right to speak in, and to take part in the proceedings of, either house, any joint sitting of the houses, and any committee of parliament of which he may be named a member, but shall not be entitled to
6480-422: The chairman of the Rajya Sabha . The vice president is elected indirectly by members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both the houses of the parliament following the system of proportional representation employing the single transferable vote and the voting is by secret ballot conducted by the election commission . The Prime Minister of India , as addressed in the Constitution of India ,
6588-476: The country with Narendra Modi at the helm since 2014. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha was scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. The previous general election was held in April–May 2019, after which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, formed the union government , with Modi continuing as Prime Minister . The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance , comprising 26 opposition parties,
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#17328521528676696-400: The country. As an advisory court, it hears matters which may specifically be referred to it under the constitution by the president. It also may take cognisance of matters on its own (or 'suo moto'), without anyone drawing its attention to them. The law declared by the supreme court becomes binding on all courts within India and also by the union and state governments. Per Article 142 , it is
6804-546: The data released by the SBI, it was found that companies gave donations around the time they received major government contracts. Close to half of the top 30 corporate donors were facing investigations by government agencies around the time they purchased electoral bonds. The national executive meeting of the BJP held on 16 and 17 January 2023 saw the party reaffirm its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and extend
6912-471: The duty of the president to enforce the decrees of the supreme court. In addition, Article 32 of the constitution gives an extensive original jurisdiction to the supreme court concerning enforcing fundamental rights. It is empowered to issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus , mandamus , prohibition , quo warranto and certiorari to enforce them. The supreme court has been conferred with power to direct
7020-522: The election. The NDA is a big tent , mostly centre-right to right-wing political alliance led by the BJP. INDIA is a big tent bloc of opposition parties , which came together to contest against the NDA. BSP leader Mayawati announced that her party will contest the election on its own in most states and ally with other non-BJP, non-Congress parties in a few states. On 11 May 2023, Biju Janata Dal leader and then Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik said that his party would go alone for
7128-461: The electoral bonds, BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam denied that the party had done any wrongdoing and said that its electoral bonds were gained "on merit". However, Indian political observers have reached the conclusion that either Indian businessmen have been regularly bribing their way out of trouble, or that the BJP-controlled government has been using government agencies to extort them. From
7236-482: The first time, the Election Commission of India allowed voters with disabilities and those over the age of 85 to cast ballots from their homes. In Telangana , voting in some areas was extended by an hour more to allow voters to come at a more convenient time. Key processes during a Lok Sabha election involved monitoring campaign expenditure, preventing the circulation of illicit goods, and ensuring adherence to
7344-503: The half-built temple. During a campaign rally in Rajasthan on 21 April, Narendra Modi accused the Congress party of prioritizing Muslim access to national wealth and planning to distribute resources among "those who have more children" and "infiltrators" once it was in power, which reflected stereotypes about Muslims reproducing in greater numbers and conspiracy theories pushed by the BJP that Muslims were planning to outnumber Hindus. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called Modi's remarks
7452-416: The higher level are assisted by one or many additional secretaries , who are further assisted by joint secretaries . At the middle they are assisted by directors/deputy secretaries and under secretaries. At the lower level, there are section officers, assistant section officers, upper division clerks, lower division clerks and other secretarial staff. The Civil Services of India are the civil services and
7560-407: The legislature in India are exercised by the Parliament , a bicameral legislature consisting of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha . Of the two houses of parliament, the Rajya Sabha (or the 'Council of States') is considered to be the upper house and consists of members appointed by the president and elected by the state and territorial legislatures . The Lok Sabha (or the 'House of the People')
7668-457: The nation. After the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya , a new era of Hindu nationalistic sentiments have dominated the political sphere in India . Modi kept a long-standing political pledge of the reconstruction of the Ram Mandir and was seen to have fulfilled the BJP's manifesto to the nation's Hindu population. The Hindu nationalist ideology of Modi and the BJP has also garnered substantial support from Hindu community members. At
7776-422: The national unemployment hovered around 7%. In 2023, 42.3% of graduates were unemployed, showing the lack of job growth needed to accommodate the increasing workforce. Unemployment took a centre stage in the election campaigns, with the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance criticising the BJP government's handling of the Indian economy for rising inflation, inequality and unemployment. As
7884-618: The opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Six parties recognized as national parties contested the 2024 Indian general elections: the BJP, the INC, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People's Party (NPP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with all except the BSP being a part of one of the two alliances. Apart from the national parties, regional parties (who are allotted fixed symbols) and other unrecognized parties and independents contested
7992-468: The party or alliance most likely to command the confidence of the majority of the Lok Sabha . In the event that the prime minister is not a member of either House upon appointment, he/she is given six months to be elected to either House of Parliament . The first seeds of responsible government during British colonial rule in India were sown by the Indian Councils Act 1909 , commonly known as
8100-402: The people themselves. But the handful of ministers is not expected to deal personally with the various problems of modern administration. Thus the ministers lay down the policy and it is for the civil servants to enforce it. The cabinet secretary ( IAST : Maṃtrimaṇḍala Saciva ) is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the Government of India. The cabinet secretary
8208-461: The permanent bureaucracy of India. The executive decisions are implemented by the Indian civil servants. In the parliamentary democracy of India, the ultimate responsibility for running the administration rests with the elected representatives of the people which are the ministers. These ministers are accountable to the legislatures which are also elected by the people based on universal adult suffrage . The ministers are indirectly responsible to
8316-454: The polling area of the constituency and registered to vote (name included in the electoral rolls), possess a valid voter identification card issued by the Election Commission of India or equivalent are eligible to vote. People convicted of electoral or other offenses and prisoners, are barred from voting. Indians holding foreign citizenship are not eligible to vote in India. There is no postal or online absentee voting in India; members of
8424-419: The president. India is currently the largest democracy in the world, with around 900 million eligible voters, as of 2019. In India, power is divided between the governments of the union and the states of India , the latter being ruled by the chiefs ministers . The state legislature is bicameral in five states and unicameral in the rest. The lower house is elected with a five-year term, while in
8532-450: The project shall ensure the residents' recognition of the necessity of water quality conservation in the River Yamuna, and would establish linkage between the river conservation and their own living environments. As of 2019 the project was still going forward with an additional phase to clean pollution from the river. The Yamuna is a tributary of the Ganges. Water Resources Minister Mr. Gadkari
8640-506: The rally, Gandhi said that he was compelled to launch his yatra due to rising inflation and unemployment in the nation. A few days after arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam on 22 March, the opposition alliance held a protest rally against the same in Ramlila Maidan , Delhi on 31 March, where opposition leaders alleged the corruption case on him and his subsequent arrest to be
8748-463: The recommendations of the Council of Ministers, among others. The President, as the head of state , also receives the credentials of ambassadors from other countries, while the prime minister , as head of government , receives credentials of high commissioners from other members of the Commonwealth , in line with historical tradition. The President is the de jure commander-in-chief of
8856-512: The result was declared on 4 June to form the 18th Lok Sabha . On 7 June 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the support of 293 MPs to Droupadi Murmu , the president of India . This marked Modi's third term as prime minister and his first time heading a coalition government , with the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal (United) of Bihar emerging as two main allies. More than 968 million people out of
8964-483: The same time, Bollywood productions have been released with themes supporting the Modi government's policies and Hindu nationalist ideologies. In response to such concerns, BJP spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon acknowledged the existence of a "level of threat perception", but said that the party was trying to change that. A major controversy was stirred when the opposition Congress Party and its leaders declined an invitation to
9072-494: The single largest item of expenditure and accounted for more than 40% of the total non-development expenditure in the 2003–04 budget. Defence expenditure increased fourfold during the same period and has been increasing to defend from a difficult neighbourhood and external terror threats. In 2020–21, India's defence budget stood at ₹ 4.71 trillion (equivalent to ₹ 5.5 trillion or US$ 66 billion in 2023). In 2009, several ministers are accused of corruption and nearly
9180-464: The state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the republican idea of the separation of powers . The executive power is vested mainly in the President of India , as per Article 53(1) of the constitution. The president has all constitutional powers and exercises them directly or through subordinate officers as per the aforesaid Article 53(1). The president
9288-405: The state government to levy property tax and charge users for public utilities like water supply , sewage etc. More than half of the revenues of the union and state governments come from taxes, of which 3/4 come from direct taxes . More than a quarter of the union government's tax revenues are shared with the state governments. The tax reforms, initiated in 1991, have sought to rationalise
9396-412: The states of Andhra Pradesh , Arunachal Pradesh , Odisha , and Sikkim were held simultaneously with the general election, along with the by-elections for 25 constituencies in 12 legislative assemblies. Incumbent prime minister Narendra Modi, who completed a second term , ran for a third consecutive term. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had enjoyed an absolute majority —a minimum of 272 seats—in
9504-452: The tax structure and increase compliance by taking steps in the following directions: The non-tax revenues of the central government come from fiscal services, interest receipts, public sector dividends, etc., while the non-tax revenues of the States are grants from the central government, interest receipts, dividends and income from general, economic and social services. Inter-state share in
9612-435: The tenure of BJP national president J. P. Nadda . Charting out the BJP's strategy for the upcoming polls, Modi said in a speech to party workers that they should reach out to every section of society, including the marginalised and minority communities, "without electoral considerations". Following the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections , Modi debuted the slogan "Modi Ki Guarantee" for the 2024 polls. Another slogan used
9720-492: The third list of nine candidates was announced on 21 March. The fourth list of 15 candidates was released on 22 March, followed by the declaration of fifth list of 111 candidates on 24 March. Ultimately, the twentieth list of one candidate was released on 10 May. For the first time since 1996 , the BJP did not field candidates in the Kashmir division , with analysts and opposition politicians attributing it to popular backlash over
9828-486: The towns of the river basin, which includes Delhi, the capital of India. Building new sewage treatment plants and expanding capacity of old ones and laying and rehabilitating sewers will be done to enhance the treatment capacity particularly in Delhi and Agra. These works will lead to improvement of the sanitation conditions for the residents of towns in the river basin. Public participation and awareness activities which are part of
9936-480: The transfer of any civil or criminal case from one state high court to another state high court, or from a Court subordinate to another state high court and the supreme court. Although the proceedings in the supreme court arise out of the judgment or orders made by the subordinate courts, of late the supreme court has started entertaining matters in which the interest of the public at large is involved. This may be done by any individual or group of persons either by filing
10044-542: The union tax pool is decided by the recommendations of the Finance Commission to the president. Total tax receipts of Centre and State amount to approximately 18% of national GDP. This compares to a figure of 37–45% in the OECD. The Finance minister of India usually presents the annual union budget in the parliament on the last working day of February. However, for the F.Y. 2017–18, this tradition had been changed. Now
10152-411: The upper house one-third of the members in the house gets elected every two years with six-year terms. Local governments function at the basic level. It is the third level of government apart from union and state governments. It consists of panchayats in rural areas and municipalities in urban areas. They are elected directly or indirectly by the people. India has a three-tier tax structure, wherein
10260-400: The usage of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and revert to paper ballots and manual counting, which was the system used in elections until the late 1990s, with the party citing risks of electoral fraud. Nearly 5.5 million EVMs were utilized in more than one million polling stations with 15 million election workers and security personnel tasked with managing the conduct of the election. For
10368-575: The video was taken down less than 24 hours after its publication. A similar video posted on X towards voters in Karnataka was also ordered taken down by the Electoral Commission and led to police opening cases against senior BJP leaders. A complaint letter by the Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan (Save the Constitution Citizens' Campaign) organisation to the Election Commission of India , signed by over 17,400 people, alleged that Modi had violated
10476-542: The whole of India will be on fire if the BJP wins the 2024 parliamentary elections and changes the Constitution, during an address at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. The Congress started a crowdfunding campaign known as Donate for Desh (Donate for the Country) ahead of the general elections. It formally launched the campaign's digital version on 18 December 2023 at a dedicated website. It claimed to be inspired from Mahatma Gandhi 's Tilak Swaraj Fund (1920–21). The physical version of
10584-478: The world's largest democracy , and the 4th largest economy in the world. Even though much remains to be done, especially in regard to eradicating poverty and securing effective structures of governance, India's achievements since independence in sustaining freedom and democracy have been singular among the world's new nations. The Government of India is modelled after the Westminster system . The Union government
10692-594: Was Abki Baar 400 Paar (This Time Surpassing 400), referring to the party's goal of winning more than 400 out of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. Having been used by the BJP in previous elections, including the 2019 general election with some changes, election analysts have said that the path for the BJP to achieve this goal will likely be by winning more seats in the south of India than in previous elections. The party held political rallies in multiple states with national leadership including Modi, BJP President J. P. Nadda and Amit Shah campaigning actively. During
10800-660: Was also set up inside the Gir Forest in Gujarat to cater for a single voter, a priest at a Hindu temple . Polling stations were also set up inside a wildlife sanctuary in Kerala , in a shipping container in Gujarat, and 320 relief camps hosting nearly 59,000 people displaced during violence in Manipur . In March 2024, the Supreme Court of India rejected a petition by the Congress party to end
10908-551: Was being held to energise party cadres for the 2024 general election. Party workers from all over the state were called to join the rally. On 14 January, the party launched its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra , a sequel to the Bharat Jodo Yatra held the previous year. The yatra started in Thoubal , Manipur and ended in Mumbai on 16 March 2024. It covered 6,713 kilometres (4,171 miles) across 14 states. Rahul Gandhi warned that
11016-521: Was formed in 2023 to compete against the NDA in the elections. Article 83 of the Constitution of India requires elections to the Lok Sabha to be held once every five years. The 543 MPs are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting . The 104th amendment to the constitution abolished the two seats that were reserved for the Anglo-Indian community. Indian citizens who are 18 years or older, ordinary residents of
11124-588: Was found to be Santiago Martin, the Tamil Nadu -based head of the lottery firm Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited, who bought bonds worth 13.68 billion rupees ($ 163 million) between 2020 and 2024 and made donations to the TMC, the BJP, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which rules Tamil Nadu. The biggest single donor to any political party was Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL),
11232-475: Was held in Patna , Bihar on 3 March 2024. The rally saw, among others, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge , party leader Rahul Gandhi , Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav , former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav , Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav , and senior Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja . Kharge attacked Kumar for frequently changing alliances and criticised
11340-737: Was hopeful that the Ganges River will be completely free of pollution by March 2020. This article about government in India is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Government of India The Government of India ( ISO : Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India and colloquially known as the Central Government ) is the government of the Republic of India , located in South Asia , consisting of 36 states and union territories . The government
11448-429: Was in power, which reflected stereotypes about Muslims reproducing in greater numbers and conspiracy theories pushed by the BJP that Muslims were planning to outnumber Hindus. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called Modi's remarks a panic-filled "hate speech" and a ploy to divert attention from the opposition outperforming the BJP during the first phase of the election, while officials in Rajasthan received complaints from
11556-542: Was introduced by the Modi government in 2017 which allowed individuals and companies to donate money to political parties anonymously and without limits was unconstitutional, saying that the process allowed donors to assert "influence over policymaking". On 18 March, the court ordered the State Bank of India (SBI) to provide all records regarding the electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India by 21 March in order to match electoral donors with their recipients and rejected
11664-625: Was previously promised. Between midnight on 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950 , India was an independent, self-governing dominion of the Commonwealth of Nations , a constitutional monarchy with a Prime Minister and a Governor-General as the viceregal representative of the head of state, George VI . Its unicameral legislature, the Constituent Assembly , was tasked with drafting the country's constitution. The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 , making India
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