Legal system: based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 25 July 1992);
Vice President Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN (since 21 August 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June
1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on
recommendation of the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Sansad) Council of States (Rajya Sabha): body consisting of not more than 250 members, up to 12 appointed by the president, the remainder chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies People's Assembly (Lok Sabha): elections last held 21 May, 12 and 15 June 1991 (next to be held by 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (545 total, 543 elected, 2 appointed) Congress (I) Party 245, BJP 119, Janata Dal Party 39, Janata Dal (Ajit Singh) 20, CPI/M 35, CPI 14, Telugu Desam 13, AIADMK 11, Samajwadi Janata Party 5, Shiv Sena 4, RSP 4, BSP 1, Congress (S) Party 1, other 23, vacant 9; note - the distribution of seats as of 18 January 1995 is as follows: Congress (I) Party 260, BJP 117, CPI/M 36, Janata Dal Party 24, Samta Party 14, CPI 14, AIADMK 12, Janata Dal (Ajit) 7, Telugu Desam 7, RSP 4, Janata Dal (Ex-Ajit) 3, Samajwadi Party 3, BSP 3, AIFB 3, Shiv Sena 2, Congress (S) Party 1, Kerala Congress (Mani faction) 1, Bihar Peoples Party 1, India National League 1, other 14, vacant 16
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Congress (I) Party, P. V. Narasimha
RAO, president; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), L.K. ADVANI; Janata Dal
Party, S.R. BOMMAI; Janata Dal (Ajit), Ajit SINGH; Janata Dal
(Ex-Ajit), leader NA; Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M),
Harkishan Singh SURJEET; Communist Party of India (CPI), Indrajit
GUPTA; 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), Jayaram JAYALALITHA; Samajwadi Party (SP),
Mulayam Singh YADAV (President), Om Prakash CHAUTALA, Devi LAL; Shiv
Sena, Bal THACKERAY; Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip
CHOWDHURY; Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi RAM; Congress (S) Party,
leader NA; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML), Vinod
MISHRA; 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; Bihar Peoples Party, Lovely ANAND; Samta
Party (formerly Janata Dal members), Natish KUMAR; Indian National
League, Suliaman SAIT; Kerala Congress (Mani faction), K.M. MANI; All
India Forward Bloc (AIFB), Prem Dutta PALIWAL (Chairman), Chitta BASU
(General Secretary)
Other political or pressure groups: various separatist groups seeking
greater communal and/or regional autonomy; numerous religious or
militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Adam Sena, Ananda Marg,
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G- 6,
G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAVEM
II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNOMIL, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM,
UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Siddhartha Shankar RAY chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Frank G. WISNER embassy: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [91] (11) 600651 FAX: [91] (11) 6872028 consulate(s) general: Bombay, Calcutta, Madras