Government
Main article: Government of India
See also: Elections in India
India is a federation with a parliamentary system governed under the Constitution of India, which serves as the country's supreme legal document. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, in which "majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law". Federalism in India defines the power distribution between the federal government and the states. The government abides by constitutional checks and balances. The Constitution of India, which came into effect on 26 January 1950,[156] states in its preamble that India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.[157] India's form of government, traditionally described as "quasi-federal" with a strong centre and weak states,[158] has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic, and social changes