conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India

IN

federal republic

New Delhi

25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman
and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka,
Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

15 August 1947 (from UK)

Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26
January (1950)

26 January 1950

based on English common law; limited judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

18 years of age; universal

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

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 105

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president
and remain in office until they reach the age of 65

Akali Dal (representing Sikh religious
community in Punjab) ; All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK ; All India Forward Bloc
or AIFB [Prem Dutta PALIWAL (chairman), Chitta BASU (general
secretary)]; Asom Gana Parishad ; Bahujan
Samaj Party or BSP ; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP
; Bihar
Peoples Party ; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Navin
PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI ; Communist
Party of India/Marxist or CPI/M ; Communist
Party of India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML ; Congress (I)
Party ; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a
regional party in Tamil Nadu) ; Indian National League
; Janata Dal (Ajit) ; Janata Dal United
Party or JDU ; Kerala Congress
(Mani faction) ; Muslim League ; National
Conference or NC (a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir) [Farooq
ABDULLAH]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD ;
Revolutionary Socialist Party or RSP ; Samajwadi
Party or SP ; Samata Party or SAP
(formerly Janata Dal members) ; Shiv Sena or SHS
; Tamil Maanila Congress ; Telugu Desam
(a regional party in Andhra Pradesh) ; Trinamool
Congress

numerous religious or
militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups seeking
greater communal and/or regional autonomy

AfDB, AsDB, 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,
UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

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:  (202) 939-7000
FAX:  (202) 483-3972
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard F. CELESTE
embassy: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone:  (11) 688-9033, 611-3033
FAX:  (11) 419-0017
consulate(s) general: Calcutta, Chennai (Madras), Mumbai (Bombay)

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white,
and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white
band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk
centered in the white band