India is a democratic republic. It is a federation of states within a federal structure. The head of state is the President, who has a largely ceremonial role. The President and Vice-President are elected indirectly by an electoral college for five-year terms.

The Prime Minister wields the executive power. The Prime Minister is designated by legislators of the political party or coalition commanding a parliamentary majority. He or she is assisted by the Council of Ministers, or the cabinet, appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. All ministers are sworn in by the President.

India's bicameral parliament, its legislative arm, consists of the upper house known as the Council of States, or Rajya Sabha and the lower house known as the House of the People, or Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha is chosen by an electoral college whereas the Lok Sabha is elected directly.

India's judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, the highest court and eighteen appellate state High Courts. Courts are empowered to issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari to enforce them. Courts in India are a constitutional authority, independent of political interference. Though rare, a conflict between the legislature and the judiciary is arbitrated by the President.

For most of its independent history, India's union government has been ruled by the Indian National Congress Party. Having been the biggest political group in pre-independence India, the Congress enjoyed nearly unchallenged dominance in national politics for over forty years. It was not until 1977 that a united opposition, under the banner of Janata Party, was able to win elections and form a non-Congress government. In recent past, the Indian National Congress has lost its stranglehold over the Indian electorate. The 2004 Indian elections, saw the Congress party attaining the highest number of seats, thus forming the government with the support by various smaller regional parties. The BJP is the main opposition party with its right wing ideology based on Hinduism. Governments formed since 1996 have been a coalition type of government due to the steady rise in regional parties.

Political parties in India lists political parties in India. India has a multi-party system with a predominance of small regional parties. National parties are those that are recognized in four or more states. They are accorded this status by the Election Commission of India, which periodically reviews the election results in various states. This recognition helps the political parties to claim unique ownership of certain identities, such as the party symbol, until the next review of their status. Below are national parties as per October 2004.

The parties

The Constitution of India stipulates that India be a federal polity with a central government in New Delhi, and state governments for the various states and Union territories. Consequently, political parties in India are classified as national and state (regional) parties based on their realms of influence.

National parties

• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Communist Party of India (CPI)
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))
• Indian National Congress (INC)
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

The world's largest democracy, India’s parliament is composed of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Lok Sabha consists of directly elected incumbents while the Rajya Sabha consists of indirectly elected representatives. The term of the Lok Sabha is 5 years whereas the Rajya Sabha is 6 years.