Chief Election Commissioner of India 2014

Shri V. S. Sampath,  He assumed charge of Chief Election Commissioner of India on 11th June 2012. Shri V. S. Sampath, the Chief Election Commissioner of India, has over four decades of leadership experience in administration diverse social and economic posts with the Union and State Governments of India. A member of the prestigious Indian Administrative Service cadre from 1973, Mr. Sampath brings a unique blend of leading large organizations through periods of change and economic reform, with the experience of handling sensitive administrative functions through India's period of high growth. Early career In his early career in the state of Andhra Pradesh in the southern part of India, Shri Sampath was the administrative head (District Collector) of large Indian districts between 1975 to 1986. This stint, apart from giving him a strong grounding in public administration and policy implementation, also provided a good exposure to election organization at the grass root level. As the District Collector of several coastal districts, Shri Sampath led large teams in managing natural disasters and cyclone relief in rural areas, an experience that required execution abilities under extreme pressure and timelines. Subsequently, Shri Sampath also led several state owned financial institutions and federations such as the Apex Co-operative Bank, Handloom Marketing Society, and Oil Seeds Federation in Food and Public Distribution Department, Industries Department and Finance Department between 1986 to 1989. This provided a strong footing in managing organizations and working towards realization of organizational goals in compressed timeframes. Middle career Subsequently, between 1990 and 2004, Shri Sampath moved to the upper echelons of the state administration, wherein he held several challenging portfolios like Secretary in Agriculture Department and Principal Secretary in Energy Department. His period as Principal Secretary Energy ushered in the first instance of large-scale power sector reforms in a large state like Andhra Pradesh, and enabling the opening up of the sector for the private sector investment in power sector. The work of the Energy department and the state administration in reforming the power sector has been internationally appreciated, and has demonstrated how effective governance and reforms could reduce AT&C losses and improve distribution efficiencies. Subsequently, Shri Sampath then served as Principal Secretary, Finance wherein he handled the state finances of Andhra Pradesh, a state with an annual budget of over Rs. 51,000 crores (or $8 billion) and a population of over 80 million. Recent Years In the past few years Shri Sampath held several important postings in Central Government. Starting with a stint in the Union Ministry of Rural Development. In 2005, Shri Sampath was appointed as Director General, National Institute of Rural Development. Subsequently, he held the post of Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals where he was pivotal in conceptualizing and implementing the PCPIR policy to help the growth of the Petrochemical sector in India by facilitating massive investments in the identified Regions. Later, he also served as Secretary, in the Central Power Ministry, where he was instrumental in implementing several forward-thinking policies to aid the sector. Among them was Restructured-Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP), a mega-package for the renovation and modernization of Indian power utilities to help them improve their performance. At the Election Commission Shri Sampath joined as Election Commissioner of India on 21st April, 2009, and oversaw the implementation of the Parliamentary Elections 2009. The 2009 elections are the largest exercise of adult franchise in the world, with an electorate of 714 million (more than the electorate of the European Union and USA combined), and Shri Sampath, as a member of the three member commission, was also instrumental in its successful implementation. Subsequently, Shri Sampath was also instrumental in conducting important State Elections in the Major States of Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh during the last three years. He assumed charge of Chief Election Commissioner of India on 11th June 2012. Among his electoral priorities, Shri Sampath rates as his top priorities the voter enrollment, increase in voter turnout and electoral reforms.

Faq's Related to Elections 2014 in India

FAQ's on:  Contesting Assembly election &  Lok Sabha election

How to contest (MP, MLA) in elections 2014

Q 1. Can a non-citizen be a candidate?

Ans. No

A non citizen cannot be a contesting candidate in the elections. Article 84 (a) of the Constitution of India envisages that a person shall not be qualified to be chosen to fill up a seat in the Parliament unless he is a citizen of India. Similar provision exists for State Legislative Assemblies in Article 173 (a) of the Constitution.

Q 2 What is the minimum age for becoming a candidate for Lok Sabha or Assembly election?

Ans. Twenty Five Years

Article 84 (b) of Constitution of India provides that the minimum age for becoming a candidate for Lok Sabha election shall be 25 years. Similar provision exists for a candidate to the Legislative Assemblies vide Article 173 (b) of the Constitution read with Sec. 36 (2) of the R. P. Act, 1950.

Q 3. If I am not registered as a voter in any Constituency, can I contest election?

Ans. No

For contesting an election as a candidate a person must be registered as a voter. Sec 4 (d) of Representation People Act, 1951 precludes a person from contesting unless he is an elector in any parliamentary constituency. Section 5 (c) of R. P. Act, 1951 has a similar provision for Assembly Constituencies.

Q 4. I am registered as a voter in Delhi. Can I contest election to Lok Sabha from Haryana or Maharashtra, or Orissa?

Ans. Yes

If you are a registered voter in Delhi, you can contest an election to Lok Sabha from any constituency in the country except Assam, Lakshadweep and Sikkim, as per Section 4 (c), 4 (cc) and 4 (ccc) of the R. P. Act, 1951.

Q 5. If some body is convicted for some offence and he is sentenced to imprisonment for 3 years, can he contest elections?

Ans. No

As per Section 8 (3) of R. P. Act, 1951, if a person is convicted of any offence and sentenced to an imprisonment of 2 years or more, this will be disqualification to contest elections.

Q 6. Supposing he is on bail, pending disposal of his appeal, can he contest the election?

Ans. No

Even if is a person is on bail, after the conviction and his appeal is pending for disposal, he is disqualified from contesting an election as per the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India. 

Q 7. Can a person confined in jail vote in an election?

Ans. No

According to section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, no person shall vote at any election if he is confined in a prison, whether under a sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful custody of the police.

Q 8. Every candidate is required to make security deposit. How much is the security deposit for Lok Sabha election?

Ans. Rupees Twenty five Thousand

As per Section 34 1 (a) of R. P. Act, 1951, every candidate is required to make a security deposit of Rs. 25,000/- (Rupees Twenty five Thousand Only) for Lok Sabha elections.

Q 9. Is there any concession for a candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe?

Ans. Yes

The same section 34 of R. P. Act, 1951 provides that a candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe is required to make a security deposit of Rs. 12,500 (Rupees Twelve Thousand five hundred Only).

Q 10. How much is the security deposit for an Assembly election?

Ans. Rupees Ten Thousand

As per Sec. 34 (1) (b) of the R. P. Act 1951, a general candidate for contesting an Assembly election will have to make a security deposit of Rs. 10,000/-. A candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste / Tribe will have to make a security deposit of Rs. 5,000/- (Five Thousand Only).

Q 11. How much was the security deposit for Lok Sabha election previously?

Ans. During the Lok Sabha elections held in 1996 and earlier, the security deposit for general and SC / ST candidate was Rs. 500/- (Rupees Five Hundred Only) and Rs. 250/- (Rupees Two Hundred and Fifty Only) respectively.

Q 12. How much was the security deposit for elections to Assembly election previously?

Ans. During Assembly elections held in 1996 and earlier, the security deposit for general and SC / ST candidates was Rs. 250/- (Rupees Two Hundred and Fifty Only) and Rs. 125/- (Rupees One Hundred Twenty Five Only) respectively.

Q 13. When was this change in the amount of security deposit made?

Ans. This change in increasing the security deposit was brought about w.e.f 1-2-2010 vide Act 41 of 2009.

Q 14. If you are a candidate of a recognised National or State party, how many proposers you require for your nomination?

Ans. Only one

If you are a candidate of a recognised national / state party, you would require only one elector of the constituency as proposer, vide Sec. 33 of R. P. Act, 1951.

Q 15. If you are an independent candidate or a candidate of unrecognised political party, how many proposers you require?

Ans. Ten

The same section 33 of R. P. Act, 1951 provides that as an independent candidate or a candidate of an unrecognised political party, ten electors from the constituency should subscribe your nomination paper as proposers.

Q 16. Can a person contest elections to Lok Sabha/Vidhan Sabha from as many constituencies as he likes?

Ans. No

As per Section 33 (7) of R. P. Act, 1951, a person cannot contest from more than two constituencies for a Lok Sabha/Vidhan Sabha election. 

Q 17. Which candidates lose the deposit?

Ans. 3354. A defeated candidate who fails to secure more than one sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency will lose his security deposit.

Q 18. What has been the maximum number of candidates in any constituency in India at any election so far?

Ans. In Modakurichi Assembly Constituency of Tamil Nadu there were 1033 contesting candidates during the general election to Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1996. The ballot papers were in the form of a booklet.

Q 19. The Election Commission has recognised some political parties as National parties and some others as State Parties. How many are National and how many are State parties ?

Ans. The Election Commission had recognized 6 Political Parties as National Parties and 36 Political Parties as State Parties in different States at the time of General Elections in 2004.

Q 20. On the day of poll, every voter has to go to a polling station to vote. Normally, how many voters are assigned to a polling station, under the norms of the Election Commission?

Ans. As per the instructions of Election Commission as contained in Para 2 of Chapter II of Handbook for Returning Officers, a polling station should be provided for a well defined polling area, normally covering about 800 - 1000 electors. However, in exceptional cases, such number may exceed 1000 to avoid the breakup of any polling area in large villages or urban area. When the number exceeds 1200, auxiliary polling stations should be set up. There is provision for setting up of polling stations in localities inhabited by the weaker section of the society, even though the number may be less than 500. If there is a Leprosy Sanatorium a separate polling station may be set up for the inmates alone. Recently the Commission has issued instructions for Rationalisation of Polling Stations in the country, and the limit of electors has been increased to 1500 per polling station, as Electronic Voting Machines are being used now.

Q 21. Normally, under the Commission’s norms, how far can a polling station be from your house?

Ans. Not more than 2 Kms.

According to Para 3 of Chapter II of Handbook for Returning Officers, polling stations should be set up in such a manner that ordinarily no voter is required to travel more than two kms to reach his polling station.

Q 22. When you are walking down to your polling station, some candidate or his agent offers you a free lift to the polling station. Can you accept that offer of lift?

Ans. No

It is a corrupt practice under section 123 (5) of the R. P. Act, 1951. This offence is punishable under Section 133 of the same Act, with imprisonment which may extend upto 3 months and/or with fine.

Q 23. Can you accept such lift when you are going back to your house after you have cast your vote?

Ans. No

The provision of Corrupt Practice under section 123 (5) as mentioned above will cover conveyance of any elector, to or from any polling station.

Q 24. Somebody offers you some money to vote for a candidate. Can you accept such money?

Ans. No

Acceptance of money to vote for a candidate is a corrupt practice of bribery under Section 123 (1) of R. P. Act, 1951. It is also an offence under section 171-B of Indian Penal Code and is punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or both.

Q 25. Somebody offers you some money, not to vote for a certain candidate. Can you accept such money?

Ans. No

The corrupt practice of bribery will also be attracted, if a person accepts money not to vote for a particular candidate.

Q 26. Somebody makes any offer of whisky, liquor or other intoxicant or gives you a dinner to vote for a particular candidate or not to vote for him. Can you accept such offer?

Ans. No

Acceptance of any offer of liquor or other intoxicants or a dinner to vote for a particular candidate or not to vote for him is bribery. 

Q 27. Can any religious or spiritual leader instruct his followers to vote for a particular candidate, otherwise they will become object of Divine displeasure?

Ans. No

If any person induces or attempts to induce the voter to vote for any particular candidate or otherwise he will become an object of Divine displeasure, he will be guilty of the corrupt practice of exercising undue influence on a voter under sec 123 (2) of R. P. Act, 1951.

It is also an offence under section 171C of Indian Penal Code and punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or both.

Q 28. Can any one threaten a voter that he would be excommunicated if he votes for a particular candidate or does not vote for another particular candidate?

Ans. No

Any threat to a voter that he would be excommunicated if he votes for a particular candidate or does not vote for another particular candidate is a corrupt practice of undue influence under Section 123 (2) of R. P. Act, 1951. It is also punishable under sec 171 F of Indian Penal Code with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or with both.

Q 29. Can anyone tell another person that he should vote for a particular person, or not to vote for him, because the candidate belongs to a particular religion, caste or creed or speaks a particular language?

Ans. No

Any one telling another person that he should vote for a particular candidate or not to vote for him because he belongs to a particular religion, caste or creed or speaks a particular language is a corrupt practice under section 123 (3) of R. P. Act, 1951.

Q 30. Is a candidate free to spend as much as he likes on his election?

Ans. No

A candidate is not free to spend as much as he likes on his election. The law prescribes that the total election expenditure shall not exceed the maximum limit prescribed under Rule 90 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. It would also amount to a corrupt practice under sec 123 (6) of R. P. Act, 1951.

Q 31. What is the limit for election expenditure in a parliamentary constituency in bigger States, like, UP, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, M.P?

Ans. The limit for election expenditure is revised from time to time. At present the limit of expenditure for a parliamentary constituency in bigger states like U. P, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh is Rs. 40 lakhs.

Q 32. What is the limit of such expenditure for an assembly constituency in these bigger States?

Ans. The limit of election expenditure for an assembly constituency in the above bigger states is Rs. 16 lakhs.

Q 33. What was the limit for the Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in the above States at the time of the last general election in 2009?

Ans. The limit of election expenses in the above bigger states at the time of 2009 general election was Rs. 25 lakhs for a Parliamentary constituency and Rs. 10 lakhs for an assembly constituency.

Q 34. Are these limits uniform for all States? If not ,What is the lowest limit for a parliamentary constituency at present?

Ans. No

The maximum limits of election expenditure vary from State to State. The lowest limit at present for a parliamentary constituency is Rs. 16 lakhs for the constituency of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep. The lowest limit for assembly constituency is Rs. 8 lakh in Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Puducherry

Q 35. Are the candidates required to file any account of election expenses?

Ans. Under section 77 of the R.P.Act, 1951, every candidate at an election to the House of the People or State Legislative Assembly is required to keep, either by himself or by his election agent, a separate and correct account of all expenditure in connection with the selection incurred or authorised by him or his election agent between the date on which he has been nominated and the date of declaration of result, both dates inclusive. Every contesting candidate has to lodge a true copy of the said account within 30 days of result of the election.

Q 36. Who is the authority to whom such account is to be lodged?

Ans. In every state the account of election expenses shall be lodged by a contesting candidate with the District Election Officer of the district in which the constituency from which he contested lies. In the case of Union Territories, such accounts are to be lodged with the Returning Officer Concerned.

Q 37. If a Candidate is contesting from more than one constituency, is he required to file separate accounts or only one consolidated account?

Ans. If a candidate is contesting from more than one constituency, he has to lodge a separate return of election expenses for every election which he has contested. The election for each constituency is a separate election.

Q 38. What is the penalty if a candidate does not file his account of election expenses?

Ans. Under section 10A of the RP Act, 1951, if the Election Commission is satisfied that a person has failed to lodge an account of election expenses with the time and in the manner required by or under that Act and he has no good reason or justification for the failure, it has the power to disqualify him for a period of 3 years for being chosen as, and for being, a member of either House of Parliament or the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council of a State.

Q 39. What is the deadline after which no public meetings and processions can be taken out?

Ans. As per Sec. 126 of R. P. Act, 1951, no public meetings and processions can be taken out during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of poll.

Q 40. On the day of poll, can any one vote in the name of another person, even with his consent?

Ans. No

On the day of poll no one can vote in the name of another even with his consent. If he does so it would amount to impersonation which is an offence under Section 171 D of Indian Penal Code. The offence is punishable with imprisonment of either description which may extend to one year or with fine or both.

Q 41. Can any one vote more than once, even if his name is included (wrongly) at more than one place?

Ans. No

No one can vote more than once even if his name is included at more than one place. If he does so he will be guilty of impersonation which will be punishable as above.

Q 42. If you go to your polling station and find that some body else has impersonated for you and already voted in your name, can you vote in such circumstance?

Ans. Yes

If a person finds that someone else has already voted in his name, then also he will be allowed to vote. But his ballot paper will be marked as a Tendered Ballot Paper by the Presiding Officer. This will be kept separately in the prescribed cover, as per Rule 42 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.

Details From: 
http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/Contesting.aspx

First Woman Prime Minister in India

Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917, in Allahabad, India. Gandhi was born into the politically prominent Nehru family; her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, served as India’s first prime minister. Gandhi served three consecutive terms as prime minister, between 1966 and 1977, and another term beginning in 1980. In 1984, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.

• NAME: Indira Gandhi
• OCCUPATION: Prime Minister
• BIRTH DATE: November 19, 1917
• DEATH DATE: October 31, 1984
• EDUCATION: Visva-Bharati University,University of Oxford
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Allahabad, India
• PLACE OF DEATH: New Delhi, India
• FULL NAME: Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi
• 
  

The only child of Jawaharlal Nehru and the first prime minister of independent India, Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917. A stubborn and highly intelligent young woman, she enjoyed an excellent education in Swiss schools and at Somerville College, Oxford.

After her mother died, in 1936, Gandhi became something of her father's hostess, learning to navigate complex relationships of diplomacy with some of the great leaders of the world.

In 2001, Gandhi was voted the greatest Indian Prime Minister in a poll organised by India Today. She was also named "Woman of the Millennium" in a poll organised by the BBC in 1999.

List of recognized (National) political parties in India

India has a multi-party system with a predominance of small regional parties. Political parties that wish to contest local, state or national elections are required to be registered by the Election Commission of India (EC). In order to gain recognition in a state, the party must have had political activity for at least five continuous years, and send at least 4% of the state's quota to the Lok Sabha (India's Lower house), or 3.33% of members to the Legislative Assembly of that state. These conditions are deemed to have failed if a member of the Lok Sabha or the Legislative Assembly of the State becomes a member of that political party after his election. If a party is recognised in four or more states, it is declared as a "National party" by the EC. Otherwise, it is known as a "State Party".

All parties contesting the elections have to choose a symbol from a list of available symbols offered by the EC. All 28 states of the country along with the union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have an elected government unless President's rule is imposed under certain conditions.

This listing is based on the situation at the September 2009 assembly elections.

Indian Prime Minister's

      About Indian Prime Minister's
భారతదేశ ప్రధానమంత్రులు

The Prime Minister of India is the political leader of the country and the principal head of government of the Republic of India. As addressed to in the Constitution of India, the prime minister is the chief of government, chief advisor to the president, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament. The office holder is responsible for nominating all other members of the government, chairing cabinet meetings. The office of Prime Minister was created immediately after the establishment of India, according to the Indian Independence Act, in 1947. There have been 13 and one acting prime ministers since 1947. From Indian National Congress; six, Janata Dal; three and one from Janata Party, Janata Party (Secular), Samajwadi Janata Party, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have served at the post.

Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed as the first Prime Minister of independent India by the Governor General in 1947. He served at the post till 27 May 1964 when he died in office, making him the longest serving Prime Minister of the country. Gulzarilal Nanda succeed him as the acting Prime Minister and served until elections. Lal Bahadur Shastri was selected as the second Prime Minister of the country on 9 June 1964 and the place was taken by Nanda as an acting Prime Minister again, when he died. Indira Gandhi assumed the office as the third Prime Minister on 24 January 1966 and served till 24 March 1977, making her the first female Prime Minister of India. Morarji Desai, the first Janata Party leader and Charan Singh the first Janata Party (Secular) leader served at the post chronologically until Gandhi was reelected for the post on 14 January 1980. She served at the position till 31 October 1984 when she was assassinated, making her the country's second longest serving and the world's second longest serving female Prime Minister.

Rajiv Gandhi, son of the late Indira, succeeded his mother as the sixth prime minister on 31 October 1984. V. P. Singh, the first Janata Dal leader and Chandra Shekhar, the first Samajwadi Janata Party then occupied the post until the election of P. V. Narasimha Rao of the Indian National Congress in 1991. He was succeeded by Atal Bihari Vajpayee; the first Bharatiya Janata Party leader to take the position 16 May 1996, however the government fell after 13 days as BJP was unable to get the support from other parties. H. D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral, both from Janata Dal served at the post chronologically forming the United Front until reelection of Vajpayee in 1998 who formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for the first time. The government collapsed after thirteen months resulting in fresh polls in which Vajpayee was reelected for the third time. He served at the post till 22 May 2004 when Indian National Congress again came to power with Dr. Manmohan Singh assuming the post as the 13th Prime Minister, forming the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for the first time. Singh continued as prime minister following the 2009 general elections, and governs with the support of the UPA.

Politics of India National Parties

National parties are political parties which participate in different elections held all over India. Some of the national parties have their origin even before India's independence.

The oldest national party in India is the Indian National Congress (INC). In was established in 1885 as a pro-British Indian organization. Later on it became the main voice of India's freedom struggle. After India's independence, the British passed the administration of India to the leaders of the Indian National Congress.

Until 1966 the Congress was a stable party. In 1966 Indira Gandhi became the leader of the Congress and Prime Minister of India. From this period the Congress lost its stability. Some of the veteran members of the Congress did not accept her leadership and they tried to dispose her. In 1969 the Congress split and her opponents established a new Congress part. But still INC was the largest and ruling party of India.

Indira Gandhi's Congress lost the 1977 elections to the Janata Party. A few months after the defeat, another split happened in the Congress party. The party of Indira Gandhi was called Congress ( I ), the initial denoting of her name. During this period many more splits and coalitions occurred within the different Congress parties. Some of these new party members including its founders returned later on to the Congress ( I ) party and the party was renamed Indian National Congress.

But there are others who left the INC at different periods and established parties outside the fold of Congress and have a name Congress in their party name. Before the 1999 elections some senior members of the INC were forced to resign because they questioned the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. These people have created the National Congress Party to participate in 1999 elections.

The INC is in the Indian political arena prior to India's independence. There were other parties, which were established after independence, and, for some period, were challenging the continuous rule of the Congress, some of them were almost vanished from the political arena.

The first political party which, was seen as challenging the Congress continuous rule was Swatantra Party. It was established in 1959 and was supported by some big businessmen. It opposed the socialism policy of the Congress It had members in the Lok Sabha until 1977. Another party, which challenged the Congress party but later on almost vanished from the political arena, was Janata Party. Janata Party was the first political party in India to establish a non-Congress government when it won the 1977 elections.

Janata Party was established before the 1977 elections. The person responsible for the formation of Janata Party was Jayaprakash Narayan, called in short JP. JP was a freedom fighter and a social activist. Many in India respected him and saw in him a moral figure.

In the early 1970s the reign of Indira Gandhi began to show signs of corruption and dictatorship and there was a general feeling that liberal democracy is coming to an end. JP openly attacked Indira Gandhi's policy and asked other leaders to express their views about the dangers. Between 1975-77 emergency rule was declared. During this period many of Gandhi's political rivals were arrested and put behind the bars. Censorship was enforced on Indian press. The justice system was restricted and turned into 'puppet show' of the government. The people also suffered a lot from this emergency rule. Under the birth control policy many people were forced to have sterilization. Even so Indira Gandhi was sure that the Indian people would support her because her general intention was to make India a better place and so she declared elections in 1977.

To prevent her victory different political parties organized as one party. This party was called Janata Party. The main factions of this party were, Congress (O), Lok Dal, Jan Sangh, and other parties. This party won the 1977 elections and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister of India. But this party as it was formed did not survive for a long time. This party which was actually a group of factions with one desire to defeat Indira Gandhi, did not find any thing common among its members after they defeated Gandhi. As long as JP was alive, the different factions still stayed together. But after his death in 1978 a clear split occurred in the Janata Party between Morarji Desai's supporters and Charan Singh's supporters. In 1979 Morarji Desai resigned as Prime Minister and other members tried to replace Prime Minister. During this period Jagjivan Ram, an untouchable according to strict Hindu society, was very near to become a Prime Minister. But finally Charan Singh of the Lok Dal faction was proclaimed the new Prime Minister. A few weeks after Charan Singh became the Prime Minister, because of the instability in the coalition, the president declared on new elections.

In 1980 new national elections took place in which Indira Gandhi's Congress again won the elections. Later on after these elections, different factions of the Janata Party broke up from the Janata Party and established their own parties. Among these parties were Jan Sangh which later on was renamed Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Janata Party continues to survive, but is very small. In the 1996 elections it did not win any seat in the national elections and in the 1998 elections it won only one seat.

Another political party which, was actually a political bloc of different factions and managed to form a government was Janata Dal. This party was established because of the claim that there was corruption in the Congress government. In 1984 Rajiv Gandhi formed the Congress government. The finance minister of his government was VP Singh. VP Singh found out that a Swedish company, Bofors, was bribing some senior members of the Congress. Singh tried to investigate this affair. Gandhi moved him from the office and made him Defence Minister, but Singh resigned from the government and started a new party called Janata Dal. This party was made up of former Janata Party, Lok Dal and some INC members. In the 1989 elections this party came second after INC but it managed to establish a coalition government with other parties. This coalition was called National Front. This front also broke up after two years.

Between 1996 and 2004 the largest party was the Bhartiya Janata Party. The BJP began its political career after India's independence with only three members in the first elections held in 1952. The BJP is a Hindu nationalist party, which draws its inspiration from Hinduism. This party sees in India a Hindu state and it emphasizes Hindu pride and Hindu past of India.

This party was established after India's independence, but its origin is also pre-independence. In the 19th century a Hindu nationalist organization, Arya Samaj, was established. The ideas of this organization influenced another Hindu organization established later in British India, the Hindu Mahasabha. Hindu Mahasabha opposed the secular Congress philosophy and wanted to establish a Hindu state in British India. Another Hindu organization in British India was Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), meaning national volunteers organization. One person who belonged in different stages of his life to these two organizations assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. After his assassination these two organizations were outlawed for sometime. The leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, Shyam Mookherji resigned from the party and established with the members of RSS a new Hindu nationalist party, which was named Jana Sangh. This party had moderate ideas than the its former components. In its first two decades the party's major holds were in north India's Hindi speaking regions, because this party supported turning Hindi into the national language of India (see Official Language of India). In 1977 this party was an important faction of the Janata Party. In the 1980s it broke from the Janata Party and changed its name to Bhartiya Jana Sangh. Later on it renamed itself as Bhartiya Janata Party.

Politics of India

भारतीय राजनीति 
భారతదేశ రాజకీయాలు
Politics of India

Politics in India takes place within the framework of a constitution. India is a federal parliamentary democratic republic in which the President of India is head of state and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government. Nominally, executive power is exercised by the president and is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament of India, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Federal and state elections generally take place within a multi-party system, although this is not enshrined in law. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, the highest national court being the Supreme Court of India. India is the world's largest democracy in terms of citizenry.

India is as a nation has been labelled as a "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic" which is "egalitarian secular". Like the United States, India has had a federal form of government since it adopted its constitution. However, the central government in India has greater power in relation to its states, and its central government is patterned after the British parliamentary system. The central government has the power to dismiss state governments under specific constitutional clauses or in case no majority party or coalition is able to form a government. The central government can also impose direct federal rule known as president's rule (or central rule). Locally, the Panchayati Raj system has several administrative functions and authorities.

For most of the years since independence, the federal government has been led by the Indian National Congress (INC). The two largest political parties have been the INC and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Although the two parties have dominated Indian politics, regional parties also exist. From 1950 to 1990, barring two brief periods, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election due to public discontent with the promulgation of emergency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975. In 1989, a Janata Dal-led National Front coalition, in alliance with the Left Front coalition, won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years.

As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term. The years 1996–1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term. In the 2004 elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various parties. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the INC won with a majority of more than 200 seats and formed the government by creating a coalition with other parties which were willing to form alliance with it.