Politics in India take place within the framework of its constitution, as India is a federal parliamentary democratic republicin which the President of India is the head of state and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government. India follows the dual polity system, i.e. a double government which consists of the central authority at the centre and states at the periphery. The constitution defines the organisation, powers and limitations of both central and state governments, and it is well-recognized, rigid and considered supreme; i.e. laws of the nation must conform to it.

There is a provision for abicameral legislature consisting of an Upper House, i.e. Rajya Sabha, which represents the states of the Indian federation and a lower house i.e. Lok Sabha, which represents the people of India as a whole. The Indian constitution provides for an independent Judiciary which is headed by the Supreme Court. The court’s mandate is to protect the constitution, to settle disputes between the central government and the states, inter-state disputes, and nullify any central or state laws that go against the constitution.

Sl. No.

Category

First

1

 First President ofIndia

 Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

2

 First Woman President ofIndia

 Mrs. Pratibha Patil

3

 First Vice President ofIndia

 Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.

4

 First Muslim President ofIndia

 Dr. Zakir Hussain.

5

 First Sikh President ofIndia

 Giani Jail Singh.

6

 First Prime Minister ofIndia

 Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru

7

 First Woman Prime Minister ofIndia

 Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

8

 First Speaker of the Lok Sabha

 G.V. Mavlankar.

9

 First Chief Justice ofIndia

 Justice H.L. Kania.

10

 First Chairman of the Rajaya Sabha

 Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.

11

 First Woman Governor of a State

 Mrs. Sarojini Naidu.

12

 First Woman Chief Minister

 Mrs. Sucheta Kripalani.

13

 First Woman Central Minister

 Rajkumari Amrit Kaur.

14

 First Woman Speaker of Lok Sabha

 Mrs. Shanno Devi.

15

 First Woman IAS Officer

 Anna George.

16

 First Woman IPS Officer

 Kiran Bedi.

17

 First Woman Advocate

 Carnelia Sorabji.

18

 First Woman Judge

 Anna Chandi.

19

 First Woman Judge of High Court

 Anna Chandi.

20

 First Woman Judge of Supreme Court

 M. Fathima Beevi.

21

 First Woman Chief Justice of High Court

 Justice Leela Seth.

22

 First Chairman of Planning Commission

 Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru.

23

 First Chairman of Finance Commission

 K.C. Niyogi.

24

 First Acting Prime Minister ofIndia

 Guljari Lal Nanda.

25

 First Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha

 M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar.

26

 First recognised leader of opposition in Lok Sabha

 Y.V. Chavan.

27

 First recognised leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha

 Lokpati Tripathi.

28

 First Lok Sabha Election

1952

29

 First Chief Election Commissioner ofIndia

 Sukumar Sen.

30

 First Woman Chief Election Commissioner ofIndia

 Smt. V.S. Rama Devi.