India

== Politics and government ==

=== Politics ===
{{Main|Politics of India}}
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| caption1          = As part of [[Janadesh 2007]], 25,000 pro-[[land reform in India|land reform]] [[landless]] people in [[Madhya Pradesh]] listen to [[Rajagopal P. V.]]<ref name="Johnston2019">{{Citation |last=Johnston |first=Hank |title=Social Movements, Nonviolent Resistance, and the State |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hSiFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT83 |page=83 |year=2019 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-429-88566-2}}</ref>
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A [[parliamentary republic]] with a [[multi-party system]],{{sfn|Burnell|Calvert|1999|p = 125}} India has six{{Nbsp}}recognised [[List of political parties in India#National parties|national parties]], including the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) and the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP), and more than 50{{Nbsp}}[[List of political parties in India#State parties|regional parties]].{{sfn|Election Commission of India}} The Congress is considered [[Centrism|centre]] in Indian [[political culture]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sáez |first1=Lawrence |last2=Sinha |first2=Aseema |year=2010 |title=Political cycles, political institutions and public expenditure in India, 1980–2000 |journal=[[British Journal of Political Science]] |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=91–113 |doi=10.1017/s0007123409990226 |s2cid=154767259}}</ref> and the BJP [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]].{{sfn|Malik|Singh|1992|pp=318–336}}{{sfn|Banerjee|2005|p=3118}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Halarnkar |first=Samar |date=13 June 2012 |title=Narendra Modi makes his move |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18352532 |quote=The right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's primary opposition party}}</ref> For most of the period between 1950—when India first became a republic—and the late 1980s, the Congress held a majority in the [[Parliament of India|Parliament]]. Since then, however, it has increasingly shared the political stage with the BJP,{{sfn|Sarkar|2007|p=84}} as well as with powerful regional parties which have often forced the creation of multi-party [[coalition government]]s at the centre.{{sfn|Chander|2004|p=117}} India was 2023 the 19th most electoral [[democracy in Asia|democratic country in Asia]] according to the [[V-Dem Democracy indices]] .<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref>

In the Republic of India's first three general elections, in [[1951 Indian general election|1951]], [[1957 Indian general election|1957]], and [[1962 Indian general election|1962]], the [[Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]]-led Congress won easy victories. On Nehru's death in 1964, [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] briefly became prime minister; he was succeeded, after his own unexpected death in 1966, by Nehru's daughter [[Indira Gandhi]], who went on to lead the Congress to election victories in [[1967 Indian general election|1967]] and [[1971 Indian general election|1971]]. Following public discontent with the [[The Emergency (India)|state of emergency]] she declared in 1975, the Congress was voted out of power in [[1977 Indian general election|1977]]; the then-new [[Janata Party]], which had opposed the emergency, was voted in. Its government lasted just over two years. There were two prime ministers during this period; [[Morarji Desai]] and [[Charan Singh]]. Voted back into power in 1980, the Congress saw a change in leadership in 1984, when Indira Gandhi was [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|assassinated]]; she was succeeded by her son [[Rajiv Gandhi]], who won an easy victory in the general elections [[1984 Indian general election|later that year]]. The Congress was voted out again in [[1989 Indian general election|1989]] when a [[National Front (India)|National Front]] coalition, led by the newly formed [[Janata Dal]] in alliance with the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|Left Front]], won the elections; that government too proved relatively short-lived, lasting just under two years. There were two prime ministers during this period; [[V.P. Singh]] and [[Chandra Shekhar]].{{sfn|Bhambhri|1992|pp=118, 143}} Elections were held again in [[1991 Indian general election|1991]]; no party won an absolute majority. The Congress, as the largest single party, was able to form a [[minority government]] led by [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 December 2004 |title=Narasimha Rao Passes Away |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.hindu.com/2004/12/24/stories/2004122408870100.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=2 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213181659/https://www.hindu.com/2004/12/24/stories/2004122408870100.htm |archive-date=13 February 2009}}</ref>

{{multiple image|perrow=1|total_width=220|image_style = border:none;| align = right |image1=Barack Obama at Parliament of India in New Delhi addressing Joint session of both houses 2010.jpg|caption1=US president [[Barack Obama]] addresses the [[Member of Parliament (India)|members]] of the [[Parliament of India]] in [[New Delhi]] in November 2010.}}

A two-year period of political turmoil followed the general election of [[1996 Indian general election|1996]]. Several short-lived alliances shared power at the centre. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996; it was followed by two comparatively long-lasting [[United Front (India)|United Front]] coalitions, which depended on external support. There were two prime ministers during this period; [[H.D. Deve Gowda]] and [[I.K. Gujral]]. In [[1998 Indian general election|1998]], the BJP was able to form a successful coalition, the [[National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA). Led by [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], the NDA became the first non-Congress, [[coalition government]] to complete a five-year term.{{sfn|Dunleavy|Diwakar|Dunleavy|2007}} Again in the [[2004 Indian general election]]s, no party won an absolute majority, but the Congress emerged as the largest single party, forming another successful coalition: the [[United Progressive Alliance]] (UPA). It had the support of [[Left-wing politics|left-leaning]] parties and MPs who opposed the BJP. The UPA returned to power in the [[2009 Indian general election|2009 general election]] with increased numbers, and it no longer required external support from [[List of Communist Parties in India|India's communist parties]].{{sfn|Kulke|Rothermund|2004|p = 384}} That year, [[Manmohan Singh]] became the first prime minister since [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] in [[1957 Indian general election|1957]] and [[1962 Indian general election|1962]] to be re-elected to a consecutive five-year term.{{sfn|Business Standard|2009}} In the [[2014 Indian general election|2014 general election]], the BJP became the first political party since 1984 to win a majority and govern without the support of other parties.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 May 2014 |title=BJP first party since 1984 to win parliamentary majority on its own |work=[[Daily News and Analysis|DNA]] |agency=Indo-Asian News Service |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-bjp-first-party-since-1984-to-win-parliamentary-majority-on-its-own-1988981 |access-date=20 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521032413/https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-bjp-first-party-since-1984-to-win-parliamentary-majority-on-its-own-1988981 |archive-date=21 May 2014}}</ref> In the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 general election]], the BJP was victorious again. The incumbent prime minister is [[Narendra Modi]], a former [[Chief minister (India)|chief minister]] of [[Gujarat]]. On 22 July 2022, [[Droupadi Murmu]] was [[2022 Indian presidential election|elected]] India's 15th president and took the oath of office on 25 July 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 July 2022 |title=Droupadi Murmu Swearing-in Live: My election is the greatness of India, mother of democracy, says President Murmu |publisher=The Indian Express |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/droupadi-murmu-swearing-in-live-updates-8049577/ |access-date=26 July 2022}}</ref>

=== Government ===
{{Main|Government of India|Constitution of India}}
{{multiple image|perrow=1|total_width=220|image_style = border:none;| align = left |image1=Rashtrapati Bhavan Wide New Delhi India.jpg|caption1=[[Rashtrapati Bhavan]], the official residence of the [[President of India]], was designed by British architects [[Edwin Lutyens]] and [[Herbert Baker]] for the [[Viceroy of India]], and constructed between 1911 and 1931 during the [[British Raj]].<ref name="Bremner2016">{{Citation |last=Bremner |first=G. A. |title=Architecture and Urbanism in the British Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjRADQAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 |page=117 |year=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-102232-6}}</ref>}}
India is a [[federation]] with a [[parliamentary system]] governed under the Constitution of India—the country's supreme legal document. It is a constitutional republic.

[[Federalism in India]] defines the power distribution between the union and the [[States and territories of India|states]]. The Constitution of India, which came into effect on 26 January 1950,{{sfn|Pylee|2003a|p = 4}} originally stated India to be a "[[Sovereignty|sovereign]], [[liberal democracy|democratic]] [[republic]];" this characterisation was amended in 1971 to "a sovereign, [[socialist]], [[Secularism|secular]], democratic republic".{{sfn|Dutt|1998|p = 421}} India's form of government, traditionally described as "quasi-federal" with a strong centre and weak states,{{sfn|Wheare|1980|p = 28}} has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic, and social changes.{{sfn|Echeverri-Gent|2002|pp = 19–20}}{{sfn|Sinha|2004|p = 25}}
{{Infobox place symbols
| region_type = National
| region      = India
| title       = [[National symbols of India|National symbols]]{{sfn|National Informatics Centre|2005}}
| emblem      = [[State Emblem of India|Sarnath Lion Capital]]
| anthem      = ''[[Jana Gana Mana]]''
| song="[[Vande Mataram]]"
| language    = None<ref name="Times News Network">{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Saeed |date=25 January 2010 |title=There's no national language in India: Gujarat High Court |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Theres-no-national-language-in-India-Gujarat-High-Court/articleshow/5496231.cms |access-date=5 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318040319/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Theres-no-national-language-in-India-Gujarat-High-Court/articleshow/5496231.cms |archive-date=18 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="NoneNtl">{{Cite news |date=16 November 2009 |title=Learning with the Times: India doesn't have any 'national language' |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Learning-with-the-Times-India-doesnt-have-any-national-language/articleshow/5234047.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010085454/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Learning-with-the-Times-India-doesnt-have-any-national-language/articleshow/5234047.cms |archive-date=10 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="Press Trust of India">{{Cite news |date=25 January 2010 |title=Hindi, not a national language: Court |work=[[Press Trust of India]] via [[The Hindu]] |location=Ahmedabad |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hindi-not-a-national-language-court/article94695.ece |access-date=23 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704084339/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hindi-not-a-national-language-court/article94695.ece |archive-date=4 July 2014}}</ref>
| currency    = [[Indian rupee sign|₹]] ([[Indian rupee]])
| calendar    = [[Indian national calendar|Shaka]]
| mammal      = {{ubl|[[Bengal tiger]]|[[South Asian river dolphin|River dolphin]]}}
| bird        = [[Indian peafowl]]
| flower      = [[Nelumbo nucifera|Lotus]]
| fruit       = [[Mango]]
| tree        = [[Banyan]]
| river       = [[Ganges]]
}}

The Government of India comprises three branches:<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Constitution of India |url=https://legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/COI-updated-as-31072018.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416044642/https://www.legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/COI-updated-as-31072018.pdf |archive-date=16 April 2019 |access-date=16 July 2016 |website=legislature.gov.in}}</ref>
* [[Executive (government)|Executive]]: The [[President of India]] is the ceremonial [[head of state]],{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 31}} who is elected indirectly for a five-year term by an [[Electoral College (India)|electoral college]] comprising members of national and state legislatures.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 138}}{{sfn|Gledhill|1970|p = 112}} The [[Prime Minister of India]] is the [[head of government]] and exercises most [[executive (government)|executive power]].{{sfn|Sharma|1950}} Appointed by the president,{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 162}} the prime minister is by convention supported by the [[political party|party]] or [[political alliance]] having a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament.{{sfn|Sharma|1950}} The executive of the Indian government consists of the president, the [[Vice President of India|vice-president]], and the [[Union Council of Ministers]]—with the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] being its executive committee—headed by the prime minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of one of the houses of parliament.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 31}} In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature; the prime minister and their council are directly responsible to the lower house of the parliament. [[Civil Services of India|Civil servants]] act as permanent executives and all decisions of the [[Executive (government)|executive]] are implemented by them.{{sfn|Mathew|2003|p = 524}}
* [[Legislature]]: The legislature of India is the [[bicameralism|bicameral]] [[Parliament of India|parliament]]. Operating under a [[Westminster system|Westminster-style]] parliamentary system, it comprises an upper house called the [[Rajya Sabha]] (Council of States) and a lower house called the [[Lok Sabha]] (House of the People).{{sfn|Gledhill|1970|p = 127}} The Rajya Sabha is a permanent body of 245{{Nbsp}}members who serve staggered six-year terms.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 161}} Most are elected indirectly by the [[States and union territories of India|state and union territorial]] legislatures in numbers proportional to their state's share of the national population.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 162}} All but two of the Lok Sabha's 545{{Nbsp}}members are elected directly by popular vote; they represent [[Single-member constituency|single-member constituencies]] for five-year{{Nbsp}}terms.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 143}} Two seats of parliament, [[Anglo-Indian reserved seats in the Lok Sabha|reserved]] for [[Anglo-Indian]]s in the article 331, have been scrapped.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 December 2019 |title=Cabinet approves scrapping of 2 seats reserved for Anglo-Indians in Parliament |url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/seats-reserved-for-anglo-indians-in-parliament-to-be-scrapped-after-cabinet-approval |access-date=17 October 2021 |website=[[National Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ghosh |first1=Abantika |last2=Kaushal |first2=Pradeep |date=2 January 2020 |title=Explained: Anglo-Indian quota, its history, MPs |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/anglo-indian-quota-history-mps-6164232/ |access-date=17 October 2021 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref>
* [[Judiciary]]: India has a three-tier{{Nbsp}}unitary [[Judicial independence|independent judiciary]]{{sfn|Neuborne|2003|p = 478}} comprising the [[Supreme Court of India|supreme court]], headed by the [[Chief Justice of India]], 25{{Nbsp}}[[High courts of India|high courts]], and a large number of trial courts.{{sfn|Neuborne|2003|p = 478}} The supreme court has [[original jurisdiction]] over cases involving [[Fundamental rights in India|fundamental rights]] and over disputes between states and the centre and has [[appellate jurisdiction]] over the high courts.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|pp = 238, 255}} It has the power to both strike down union or state laws which contravene the constitution{{sfn|Sripati|1998|pp=423–424}} and invalidate any government action it deems unconstitutional.{{sfn|Pylee|2003b|p = 314}}
{{clear}}

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of India}}
{{See also|Political integration of India}}

India is a federal union comprising 28 [[States and union territories of India|states]] and 8 [[Union territory|union territories]].{{sfn|Library of Congress|2004}} All states, as well as the union territories of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] and the [[Delhi|National Capital Territory of Delhi]], have elected legislatures and governments following the Westminster system of governance. The remaining five union territories are directly ruled by the central government through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the [[States Reorganisation Act, 1956|States Reorganisation Act]], states were reorganised on a linguistic basis.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|p = 49}} There are over a quarter of a million local government bodies at city, town, block, district and village levels.<ref>{{Cite web |title=India |url=https://www.clgf.org.uk/regions/clgf-asia/india/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715203036/https://www.clgf.org.uk/regions/clgf-asia/india/ |archive-date=15 July 2019 |access-date=7 September 2019 |website=[[Commonwealth Local Government Forum]]}}</ref>
{{Indian states and territories image map|image-width=330}}

==== States ====
{{columns-list |colwidth=18em|
# [[Andhra Pradesh]]
# [[Arunachal Pradesh]]
# [[Assam]]
# [[Bihar]]
# [[Chhattisgarh]]
# [[Goa]]
# [[Gujarat]]
# [[Haryana]]
# [[Himachal Pradesh]]
# [[Jharkhand]]
# [[Karnataka]]
# [[Kerala]]
# [[Madhya Pradesh]]
# [[Maharashtra]]
# [[Manipur]]
# [[Meghalaya]]
# [[Mizoram]]
# [[Nagaland]]
# [[Odisha]]<!--Do not change this per [[WP:COMMONNAME]].-->
# [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
# [[Rajasthan]]
# [[Sikkim]]
# [[Tamil Nadu]]
# [[Telangana]]
# [[Tripura]]
# [[Uttar Pradesh]]
# [[Uttarakhand]]
# [[West Bengal]]
}}

==== Union territories ====
{{columns-list |colwidth=18em|
{{ordered list |type=upper-alpha
| [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
| [[Chandigarh]]
| [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]]
| [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
| [[Ladakh]]
| [[Lakshadweep]]
| [[Delhi|National Capital Territory of Delhi]]
| [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]
}}
}}

=== Foreign and strategic relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of India}}
{{multiple image|perrow=1|total_width=220
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|align    = right 
|image1=Jawaharlal Nehru, Nasser and Tito at the Conference of Non-Aligned Nations held in Belgrade.jpg|caption1=During the 1950s and 60s, India played a pivotal role in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]].<ref name="Dinkel2018">{{Cite book |last=Dinkel |first=Jürgen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YqOODwAAQBAJ |title=The Non-Aligned Movement: Genesis, Organization and Politics (1927–1992) |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-90-04-33613-1 |pages=92–93}}</ref> From left to right: [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] of [[United Arab Republic]] (now Egypt), [[Josip Broz Tito]] of [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] in Belgrade, September 1961.
}}
{{multiple image|perrow=1|total_width=220
|image_style = border:none;
|align    = right
||image1=Modi Nieto Mexico June 2016.jpg|caption1=Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] of India (left, background) in talks with President [[Enrique Peña Nieto]] of Mexico during a visit to [[Mexico City]], 2016.
}}

In the 1950s, India strongly supported [[decolonisation]] in [[Africa]] and [[Asia]] and [[India and the Non-Aligned Movement|played a leading role]] in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]].{{sfn|Rothermund|2000|pp = 48, 227}} After initially cordial relations with neighbouring China, India went to [[Sino-Indian War|war with China in 1962]] and was widely thought to have been humiliated.<ref name=62-humiliation>(a) {{citation|last=Guyot-Rechard|first=Berenice |title=Shadow States: India, China and the Himalayas, 1910–1962|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=235|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbktDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA235|year=2017|isbn=978-1-107-17679-9|quote= By invading NEFA, the PRC did not just aim to force a humiliated India to recognise its possession of the Aksai Chin.  It also hoped to get, once and for all, the upper hand in their shadowing competition. }}
<br />(b) {{citation|last=Chubb|first=Andrew|chapter=The Sino-Indian Border Crisis: Chinese Perceptions of Indian Nationalism|title=Crisis|editor1-last=Golley|editor1-first=Jane|editor2-last=Jaivan|editor2-first=Linda|editor3-last=Strange|editor3-first=Sharon|publisher=Australian National University Press|year=2021|pages=231–232|isbn=978-1-76046-439-4|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1crEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA230|quote=The ensuing cycle of escalation culminated in the 1962 Sino-Indian border war in which Mao Zedong's troops overran almost the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern sector before unilaterally withdrawing, as if to underline the insult; most of the war's several thousand casualties were Indian. The PLA's decisive victories in the 1962 war not only humiliated the Indian Army, they also entrenched a status quo in Ladakh that was highly unfavourable for India, in which China controls almost all of the disputed territory. A nationalistic press and commentariat have kept 1962 vivid in India's popular consciousness.}}
<br />(c) {{citation|last=Lintner|first=Bertil|title=China's India War: Collision Course on the Roof of the World|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2018|isbn=978-0-19-909163-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-L9DDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT106|quote=Lin Biao was put in charge of the operation and that alliance between Mao and his loyal de facto chief of the PLA made the attack on India possible. With China's ultimate victory in the war, Mao's ultra-leftist line had won in China; whatever critical voices that were left in the Party after all the purges fell silent.}}
<br />(d) {{citation|last=Medcalf|first=Rory|title=Indo-Pacific Empire: China, America and the contest for the world's pivotal|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2020|isbn=978-1-5261-5077-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RCjXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT81|quote=From an Indian perspective, the China-India war of 1962 was a shocking betrayal of the principles of co-operation and coexistence: a surprise attack that humiliated India and personally broke Nehru.}}
<br />(e) {{citation|last=Ganguly|first=Sumit|title=The Crisis in Kashmir: Portents of War, Hope of Peace|publisher=Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Cambridge University Press|year=1997|page=44 |isbn=978-0-521-65566-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi66mjIqR1IC&pg=PA44|quote=In October 1962 India suffered the most humiliating military debacle in its post-independence history, at the hands of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). The outcome of this conflict had far-reaching consequences for Indian foreign and defence policies. The harsh defeat that the Chinese PLA had inflicted on the Indian Army called into question some of the most deeply held precepts of Nehru's foreign and defence policies.}}
<br />(f) {{citation|last=Raghavan|first=Srinath|chapter=A Missed Opportunity? The Nehru-Zhou Enlai Summit of 1960|title=India and the Cold War|editor-last=Bhagavan|editor-first=Manu|publisher=University of North Carolina Press |page=121|year=2019|isbn=978-1-4696-5117-0|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h-yoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA121|quote=The 'forward policy' adopted by India to prevent the Chinese from occupying territory claimed by them was undertaken in the mistaken belief that Beijing would be cautious in dealing with India owing to Moscow's stance on the dispute and its growing proximity to India. These misjudgments would eventually culminate in India's humiliating defeat in the war of October–November 1962.}}</ref> This was followed by another [[Nathu La and Cho La clashes|military conflict in 1967]] in which India successfully repelled Chinese attack.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brahma Chellaney |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCmFAAAAMAAJ |title=Asian Juggernaut: The Rise of China, India, and Japan |date=2006 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=978-8172236502 |pages=195 |language=en |quote=Indeed, Beijing's acknowledgement of Indian control over Sikkim seems limited to the purpose of facilitating trade through the vertiginous Nathu-la Pass, the scene of bloody artillery duels in September 1967 when Indian troops beat back attacking Chinese forces. |author-link=Brahma Chellaney}}</ref> India has had [[Indo-Pakistani relations|tense relations]] with neighbouring Pakistan; the two nations have gone to war four times: in [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|1947]], [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965]], [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971]], and [[Kargil War|1999]]. Three of these wars were fought over the [[Kashmir conflict|disputed territory of Kashmir]], while the third, the 1971 war, followed from India's support for the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|independence of Bangladesh]].{{sfn|Gilbert|2002|pp = 486–487}} In the late 1980s, the Indian military twice intervened abroad at the invitation of the host country: a [[Indian Peace Keeping Force|peace-keeping operation]] in [[Sri Lanka]] between 1987 and 1990; and an armed intervention to prevent a [[1988 Maldives coup d'état|1988 coup d'état attempt]] in the Maldives. After the 1965 war with Pakistan, India began to pursue close military and economic [[India-Soviet Union relations|ties with the Soviet Union]]; by the late 1960s, the Soviet Union was its largest arms supplier.{{sfn|Sharma|1999|p=56}}

Aside from its ongoing [[India–Russia relations|special relationship with Russia]],<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gvosdev |first1=N.K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ipzAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA353 |title=Russian Foreign Policy: Interests, Vectors, and Sectors |last2=Marsh |first2=C. |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4833-1130-2 |page=353 |quote=Putin's visit to India in December 2012 for the yearly India–Russia summit saw both sides reaffirming their special relationship.}}</ref> India has wide-ranging [[India–Israel relations|defence relations with Israel]] and [[France–India relations|France]]. In recent years, it has played key roles in the [[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation]] and the [[World Trade Organization]]. In May 2017, the [[Indian Space Research Organisation]] launched the [[South Asia Satellite]], a gift from India to its neighbouring [[SAARC]] countries.<ref name="Deccan Herald">{{Cite news |date=12 January 2015 |title=Isro-Saarc satellite to be a communication vehicle |work=[[Deccan Herald]] |agency=DH News Service |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/452938/isro-saarc-satellite-communication-vehicle.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628084201/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/452938/isro-saarc-satellite-communication-vehicle.html |archive-date=28 June 2015}}</ref> It participates in the [[East Asia Summit]], the [[G8+5]], and other multilateral forums.{{sfn|Alford|2008}} [[2023 G20 New Delhi summit|2023 G20 summit]] was held in India.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chietigj |first1=Bajpaee |title=The G20 showcases India's growing power. It could also expose the limits of its foreign policy |url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/09/g20-showcases-indias-growing-power-it-could-also-expose-limits-its-foreign-policy |publisher=[[Chatham House]] |access-date=2023-09-07}}</ref> India has close economic ties with countries in [[South America]],<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Jorge Heine |last2=R. Viswanathan |date=Spring 2011 |title=The Other BRIC in Latin America: India |url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/india-latin-america |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525115121/https://www.americasquarterly.org/india-latin-america |archive-date=25 May 2017 |access-date=19 May 2017 |website=[[Americas Quarterly]]}}</ref> Asia, and Africa; it pursues a [[Look East policy (India)|"Look East" policy]] that seeks to strengthen partnerships with the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations|ASEAN]] nations, [[India–Japan relations|Japan]], and [[India–South Korea relations|South Korea]] that revolve around many issues, but especially those involving economic investment and regional security.{{sfn|Ghosh|2009|pp = 282–289}}{{sfn|Sisodia|Naidu|2005|pp = 1–8}}

Since the end of the [[Cold War]], India has increased its economic, strategic, and military co-operation with the [[India–United States relations|United States]] and the [[India–European Union relations|European Union]].{{sfn|European Union 2008}} In 2008, a [[U.S.–India Civil Nuclear Agreement|civilian nuclear agreement]] was signed between India and the United States. Although India possessed nuclear weapons at the time and was not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it received waivers from the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] and the [[Nuclear Suppliers Group]], ending earlier restrictions on India's nuclear technology and commerce. As a consequence, India became the sixth de facto nuclear weapons state.{{sfn|The Times of India 2008}} India subsequently signed co-operation agreements involving [[Nuclear power in India|civilian nuclear energy]] with Russia,{{sfn|British Broadcasting Corporation 2009}} France,{{sfn|Rediff 2008 a}} the [[India–United Kingdom relations|United Kingdom]],{{sfn|Reuters|2010}} and [[Canada–India relations|Canada]].{{sfn|Curry|2010}}

===Military===
{{Main|Indian Armed Forces|Indian Army United Nations peacekeeping missions}}

{{multiple image|perrow = 1|total_width = 220|upright =
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| image1      = Indian Air Force contingent as a part of the Bastille Day Parade of France, in Paris on July 14, 2009.jpg
| caption1    = The [[Indian Air Force]] contingent marching at the 221st [[Bastille Day military parade]] in Paris, on 14 July 2009. The parade at which India was the foreign guest was led by India's oldest regiment, the [[Maratha Light Infantry]], founded in 1768.<ref name="guardian-muir-diary-maratha">{{Citation |last=Muir |first=Hugh |title=Diary |date=13 July 2009 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/jul/14/bbc-peter-salmon-trevor-mcdonald |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019165743/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/jul/14/bbc-peter-salmon-trevor-mcdonald |url-status=dead |quote="Members of the Indian armed forces have the plum job of leading off the great morning parade for Bastille Day. Only after units and bands from India's navy and air force have followed the Maratha Light Infantry will the parade be entirely given over to ... France's armed services." |archive-date=19 October 2014}}</ref>
}}

The President of India is the supreme commander of the nation's armed forces; with 1.45&nbsp;million active troops, they compose the [[List of countries by number of troops|world's second-largest military]]. It comprises the [[Indian Army]], the [[Indian Navy]], the [[Indian Air Force]], and the [[Indian Coast Guard]].{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency}} The official Indian [[List of countries by military expenditures|defence budget]] for 2011 was US$36.03&nbsp;billion, or 1.83% of GDP.{{sfn|Behera|2011}} Defence expenditure was pegged at US$70.12&nbsp;billion for fiscal year 2022–23 and, increased 9.8% than previous fiscal year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministry wise Summary of Budget Provisions, 2022–23 |url=https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/doc/eb/sumsbe.pdf |access-date=3 February 2022 |website=Ministry of Finance, Government of India}}</ref>{{sfn|Pandit|2022}} India is the world's second-largest arms importer; between 2016 and 2020, it accounted for 9.5% of the total global arms imports.{{sfn|Pandit|2021}} Much of the military expenditure was focused on defence against Pakistan and countering growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean.{{sfn|Miglani|2011}} In October 2018, India signed a US$5.43&nbsp;billion (over {{INR|link=yes}}400&nbsp;billion) agreement with [[Russia]] to procure four [[S-400 Triumf]] surface-to-air missile defence systems, Russia's most advanced long-range [[missile defence]] system.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 October 2018 |title=India Russia S-400 missile deal: All you need to know |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://m.timesofindia.com/india/india-russia-s-400-missile-deal-all-you-need-to-know/articleshow/66066460.cms |url-status=live |access-date=9 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005130114/https://m.timesofindia.com/india/india-russia-s-400-missile-deal-all-you-need-to-know/articleshow/66066460.cms |archive-date=5 October 2018}}</ref> The nation has provided 100,000 [[Indian Armed Forces|military]] and [[Law enforcement in India|police]] personnel to serve in 35 [[United Nations peacekeeping|UN peacekeeping operations]] across four continents.

China's [[596 (nuclear test)|nuclear test of 1964]], as well as its repeated threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the 1965 war, convinced India to develop nuclear weapons.{{sfn|Perkovich|2001|pp = 60–86, 106–125}} India conducted its [[Smiling Buddha|first nuclear weapons test]] in 1974 and carried out [[Pokhran-II|additional underground testing]] in 1998. Despite criticism and military sanctions, India has signed neither the [[Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty]] nor the [[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]], considering both to be flawed and discriminatory.{{sfn|Kumar|2010}} India maintains a "[[no first use]]" nuclear policy and is developing a [[nuclear triad]] capability as a part of its "[[Minimum Credible Deterrence]]" doctrine.{{sfn|Nair|2007}}{{sfn|Pandit|2009}} It is developing a [[Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Program|ballistic missile defence shield]] and, a [[HAL AMCA|fifth-generation fighter jet]].{{sfn|Pandit|2015}}<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Iyer-Mitra |first1=Abhijit |last2=Das |first2=Pushan |title=The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft:A Technical Analysis |url=https://dhqxnzzajv69c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IssueBrief_105.pdf |access-date=17 October 2021 |website=[[Observer Research Foundation]]}}</ref> Other indigenous military projects involve the design and implementation of [[Vikrant class aircraft carrier|''Vikrant''-class aircraft carriers]] and [[Arihant class submarine|''Arihant''-class nuclear submarines]].<ref name="Hindu 2011">{{Cite news |date=5 October 2011 |title=India, Russia Review Defence Ties |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2514142.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=8 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007183650/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2514142.ece |archive-date=7 October 2011}}</ref>