Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*,Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
Constitution: 26 January 1950
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 Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN (since 25 July 1997); Vice President Krishnan KANT (since 21 August 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Atal Behari VAJPAYEE (since 19 March 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term; election last held 14 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2002); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 16 August 1997 (next to be held NA August 2002); prime minister elected by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held NA October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004)
election results: Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN elected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA%; Krishnan KANT elected vice president; percent of Parliament vote - NA%; Atal Behari VAJPAYEE elected prime minister; percent of vote - NA%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members, up to 12 of which are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held 5 September through 3 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - BJP alliance 40.8%, Congress alliance 33.8%, other 25.4%; seats by party - BJP alliance 304, Congress alliance 134, other 107
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65)
Political parties and leaders: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha JAYARAM]; All India Forward Bloc
or AIFB [Prem Dutta PALIWAL (chairman), Chitta BASU (general
secretary)]; Asom Gana Parishad [Prafulla Kumar MAHANTA]; Bahujan
Samaj Party or BSP [Kanshi RAM]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP
[Bangaru LAXMAN, president]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen
PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan
BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML [Vinod
MISHRA]; Congress (I) Party [Sonia GANDHI, president]; Dravida
Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a regional party in Tamil Nadu) [M.
KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National League [Suliaman SAIT]; Janata Dal
(Secular) [H. D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United) or JDU [Sharad
YADAV, president, I. K. GUJRAL]; Kerala Congress (Mani faction) [K.
M. MANI]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKO];
Muslim League [G. M. BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP
[Sharad PAWAR]; National Democratic Alliance, a 16-party alliance
including BJP, DMK, Janata Dal (U), SHS, Shiromani Akali Dal, Telugu
Desam, BJD, Rinamool Congress]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo
Prasad YADAV]; Revolutionary Socialist Party or RSP [Tridip
CHOWDHURY]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV, president];
Shiromani Akali Dal [Prakash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena [Bal
THACKERAY]; Tamil Maanila Congress [G. K. MOOPANAR]; Telugu Desam
Party or TDP (a regional party in Andhra Pradesh) [Chandrababu
NAIDU]; Trinamool Congress [Mamata BANERJEE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference
International organization participation: AfDB, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Naresh CHANDRA
chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Embassy located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939–7000
FAX: [1] (202) 483–3972
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Richard F. CELESTE
embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [91] (11) 688–9033, 611–3033
