Government (India)
==================


     Long-form name:
         Republic of India
     Type:
         federal republic
     Capital:
         New Delhi
     Administrative divisions:
         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 Bengal
     Independence:
         15 August 1947 (from UK)
     Constitution:
         26 January 1950
     Legal system:
         based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts;
         accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
     National holiday:
         Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950)
     Executive branch:
         president, vice president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
     Legislative branch:
         bicameral Parliament (Sansad) consists of an upper house or Council of
         States (Rajya Sabha) and a lower house or People's Assembly (Lok Sabha)
     Judicial branch:
         Supreme Court
     Leaders:
       Chief of State:
         President Ramaswamy Iyer VENKATARAMAN (since 25 July 1987); Vice President
         Dr. Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 3 September 1987)
       Head of Government:
         Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June 1991)
     Political parties and leaders:
         Congress (I) Party, P. V. Narasimha RAO, president; Bharatiya Janata Party,
         L. K. ADVANI; Janata Dal Party, V. P. SINGH; Communist Party of
         India/Marxist (CPI/M), Harkishan Singh SURJEET; Communist Party of India
         (CPI), C. Rajeswara RAO; Telugu Desam (a regional party in Andhra Pradesh),
         N. T. Rama RAO; All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK; a regional
         party in Tamil Nadu), JAYALALITHA; Samajwadi Janata Party, CHANDRA SHEKHAR;
         Shiv Sena, Bal THACKERAY; Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip
         CHOWDHURY; Bahujana Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi RAM; Congress (S) Party,
         leader NA; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML), Satyanarayan
         SINGH; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (a regional party in Tamil Nadu), M.
         KARUNANIDHI; Akali Dal factions representing Sikh religious community in the
         Punjab; National Conference (NC; a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir),
         Farooq ABDULLAH; Asom Gana Parishad (a regional party in Assam), Prafulla
         MAHANTA
     Suffrage:
         universal at age 18