It is no surprise that given previous British rule, India would retain much of its governmental structures left by colonial administration.
Much like the Westminister system of bicameral legislatures, the Indian Parliament contains the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). Of course, as a republic, India does not observe a monarch but rather a president. The actual maintenance of government is done by a bureaucracy with various ministries and agencies. Unfortunately, there is the issue of too much bureaucracy that has hampered India’s administration.1
The central government aside, India, like many federal countries, have states (with their own governments) and these states are further divided into districts. Even districts can be divided into smaller units containing their own local governance structures.1
As for the kinds of political parties dominating the Indian scene, two parties are worth mentioning. The first party, the Indian National Congress (or the Congress party), has existed since 1885, even before Indian independence (but with later divisions). The second party is the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), a more right-wing party appealing to Hindu nationalism.1 The former party ruled India under Singh’s leadership before the present administration, which is run by the BJP under Narendra Modi.
Footnotes
1. India. (2018). In Encyclopædia Britannica online. (Government and Society section)