India is the largest democracy in the world, and has the largest number of political parties. In the 1996 national elections, almost 600 million people voted and an average of 26 candidates competed for each of the 543 territorial constituency seats.
Elections are held at different levels. The two major election levels are at national level, after which the national government is established and at state level after which the state government is established. Elections are also held for city, town and village councils.
There are different political issues in Indian politics. Some communities just demand more economical and social rights, while others demand more autonomy for their cultures within the Indian states. Some even demand to be independent from India.
What is peculiar to the Indian political system are the caste, although this system exists in other Asian countries. The origin of the caste system is in Hinduism, but it affected the whole Indian society. The caste system in the religious form is basically a simple division of society in which castes are put in a hierarchy. Outcasts also exists, and they are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Legally the government disallows the practice of caste system, but has a policy of affirmative discrimination of the backward classes.
proposed by Aditya B.
originally from http://adaniel.tripod.com/