Long-form name: Republic of India

Type: federal republic

Capital: New Delhi

Administrative divisions: 24 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Delhi*, Goa and Daman and Diu*, 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; note--Goa may have become a state with Daman and Diu remaining a union territory

Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK)

Constitution: 26 January 1950

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

National holiday: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950)

Branches: bicameral parliament--Government Assembly (Rajya Sabha) and People's Assembly (Lok Sabha); relatively independent judiciary

Leaders: @m5Chief of State--President Ramaswamy Iyer VENKATARAMAN (since 25 July 1987); Vice President Dr. Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 3 September 1987) @m5Head of Government--Prime Minister Rajiv GANDHI (since 31 October 1984)

Suffrage: universal over age 21

Elections: national and state elections ordinarily held every five years; may be postponed in emergency and may be held more frequently if government loses confidence vote; last general election in December 1984; state elections staggered

Political parties and leaders: Congress (I) Party, headed by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi; Lok Dal Party, led by Devi Lal; Janata Dal, led by V. P. Singh; Bharatiya Janata Party led by L. K. Advani; Communist Party of India (CPI), led by C. Rajeswara Rao; Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M) led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML) led by Satyanarayan Singh; All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK), a regional party in Tamil Nadu led by J. Ramachandran; Dravida Munnetra Akali Dal factions representing Sikh religious community in the Punjab; Telugu Desam, a regional party in Andhra Pradesh led by N. T. Rama Rao; National Conference (NC), a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir, split into factions led by Farooq Abdullah and G. M. Shah; Asom Gana Parishad, a regional party in Assam led by Prafulla Mahanta; Mizo National Front, a regional party in Mizoram led by Laldenga

Voting strength: India Congress 74%, Telugu Desam Party 5%, CPM 4%, Janata 1.8%, CPI 1.1%, DMKP 0.5%, BJP 0.4%, other 6.6%

Communists: 466,000 members claimed by CPI, 361,000 members claimed by CPI/M; Communist extremist groups, about 15,000 members

Other political or pressure groups: various separatist groups seeking greater communal autonomy; numerous senas or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Shiv Sena (in Bombay), Anand Marg, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Member of: ADB, AIOEC, ANRPC, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Karan SINGH; Chancery at 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-7000; there are Indian Consulates General in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Dr. John HUBBARD; Embassy at Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi; telephone �91� (11) 600651; there are US Consulates General in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a blue @m5chakra (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

NOTE: The information regarding India on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of India Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about India Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.