An Overview.

1. Politics of India June 19th 2009, María Todorova

3. Modeled after the BritishWestminster System

4. Prime Minister of India is the head of government

5. President of India is the formal head of statewith reserve powers, like the British monarch. - Executive power is exercised by the government.

6. PoliticalOrganization - Federal legislative power is practiced in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament of India. - The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. - According to its constitution, India is a "sovereignsocialistseculardemocratic republic.“ -India is the largest state by population with a democratically-elected government.

7. PoliticalParties - Types of parties: national and regional - If a regional partywin in 4 states, it’sconsidered as a nationalone. - In the 61 years of independence,India has beenruledbytheIndianNationalCongressfor 48 years. - Now a daythereis a transitionfromnationalpartiestoragionalparties, deeplyalignedtonationalistideologies.

8. Who is competingfor the Power in India? - Congress party and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) point to rapid economic growth during its tenure and its investment in social policies and the country's power infrastructure. - Hindu nationalist BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Alliance has focused on India's internal security situation, claiming the government has been ineffectual against the terrorism. - Left-wingand regional parties who have united to form a "third front“ point to slow economic reforms.

10. - Some 714 million voters are eligible to cast ballots, with almost four million officials taking part. - There are 828,804 polling centres. - Extensive security measures in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where separatist militants have been operating for almost two decades.

11. Myths about Indian Elections Do women in India vote according to the wishes of their husbands? - The levels of interest and involvement of women in politics is lower than that of men - Congress, for example, has always got more votes from women (Indira Gandhi). - The Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Bengal. - Fewer than 50% of women today go by the advice of their husband or any men in their family. Do Muslims vote as a community? - Any minority community tends to consult among themselves. - They have had their preferred political party: Congress

12. Myths about Indian Elections Do The Young Vote Distinctly and Independently? - Two-thirds of Indians are below the age of 35. - The young are about as traditional and conservative as the old. Do the Indians Vote Their Caste? - The evidence on caste voting suggests that caste tends to be a major determinant, specially among the large, visible and powerful caste groups. - Indians are voting for a party that is considered to be close to their caste or community group.

14. Big Issues in PoliticalLife Manmohan Singhhas said the country needed a law to define the meaning of "criminal" - and who should or should not be a minister. In July 2008 Washington Times reported that nearly a fourth part of the 540 Indian Parliament members faced criminal charges, "including human trafficking, immigration rackets, rape and even murder".

16. Maoist-linked violence has killed 6,000 people in India over the past 20 years.

17. Rebels have taken over more villages in the area and burnt down and demolished