Political Institutions & Parties

• A federal republic with a parliamentary system of government
• capital: New Delhi

• 26 states and 6 centrally administered
Union Territories
– 2 states are partially claimed by Pakistan and
China

• Relatively centralized
• federal government controls the most essential government functions
– defense
– foreign policy
– taxation
– public expenditures
– economic (industrial) planning

• state governments formally control
– agriculture
– education
– law and order within states
– dependent on central government for funds

• Balance of power between central and state governments
– varies by time and place
– state power was constrained
• during the rule of Nehru and Indira Gandhi
– state governments have more room to maneuver
• when central government is weak
• since 1998

• considerable center-state conflict when ruling political party in a state is different from national ruling party

• Formal political structure of the states parallels that of the national government
• national
• President state
Governor
• Prime Minister Chief Minister
• Parliament Assembly
• Supreme Court High Court

• Parliamentary system of government
– the executive authority is responsible to the
Parliament

• bicameral Parliament
– Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
– Lok Sabha (House of the People)

• The Upper House

• Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
• not more than 250 members
– 12 are nominated by the President of India
– the rest are indirectly elected
• by state Legislative Assemblies
• The Council of States can not be dissolved
– members have terms of 6 years
– 1/3 members retire at end of every 2nd year

• House of the
People

• Lok Sabha (House of the People)
• 545 members
– 2 are appointed by the President of India
– the rest are directly elected from singlemember districts
• 5-year terms unless dissolved
• Lok Sabha elects its presiding officer
– the Speaker

• Elections held at least every 5 years
• Prime Minister may call elections earlier
• 543 single-member districts of roughly equal population
• party nomination
• 1st-past-the-post
– winner-take-all
• women’s share

• Vote share of 3 major political parties

• 43 parties in the 13th Lok Sabha (1999)
• 39 parties in the 14th Lok Sabha (2004)
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 184 138
• Indian National Congress (INC) 109 145
• Communist Party of India (M) 34 43
• other political parties 218 217
• total 545 543

• India’s oldest political party
– since 1885
• India’s premier political party
– until 1990s
• in 1960s many regional parties started challenging INC’s monopoly on power

• Indira Gandhi
– created a top-down structure
– party leaders appoint party officials
– some limited party elections
• left-of-center, pro-poor political platform

• INC moved toward the ideological center
– Beginning in 1984
• INC today tilts right-of-center
– economic efficiency
– business interests
– limited government spending

• INC has always attracted support from diverse social groups
• in the 1990s INC has lost some of its traditional constituencies among the poor and Muslims

• The major political party in India today
• right-leaning, Hindu-nationalist party
– first major party to mobilize explicitly on the basis of religious identity

• better organized than INC
– disciplined party members
– carefully selected party cadres
– clear and respected authority line within the party

• Traditional supporters
– urban, lower-middle-class groups
• base of support widened since mid-1980s
– Hindu nationalism
– north-central India
– decline of Indian National Congress
– Muslims as convenient scapegoat for frustration

• electoral success from 1989 to 1999
– difficulty in forming alliance with other parties
• break with past traditions
– relatively moderate, centrist position
• BJP formed governing coalition in 1998
– collapsed in 1999
• BJP formed a new coalition in 1999
– more broadly based than previous coalition

• economic liberalization and stability
• privilege the interests of the Hindu majority

• Leader of the majority party leader in Lok
Sabha becomes the prime minister
• prime minister nominates a cabinet
– members of Parliament in the ruling coalition
– Council of Ministers
• effective power is concentrated in the office of the prime minister
– where most of the important policies originate

• 38 years in the Nehru-Gandhi family
• more and more rapid turnover

• Head of the State
• Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces
• elected by an electoral college
– national Parliament
– state legislature
• 5-year terms
• can be reelected

• Ceremonial office
– symbolize national unity
– supposedly above partisan politics
• mostly acts on the advice of the prime minister
• President plays a significant role when the selection of a prime minister is complex
– in 1998 President requested BJP to form govt.

• Fundamental contradiction in constitution
– principle of parliamentary sovereignty
– principle of judicial review

• judiciary tries to preserve the constitution’s basic structure
• to ensure that legislation conforms with the intent of the constitution
• parliament tries to assert its right to amend the constitution