Differences between Indian Government and U.S. Government

The Basic difference between the Indian Government and the US Government is that the Indian government has a parliamentary model system, whereas the USA has a presidential system. India is the largest democracy in the world, whereas the United States of America is the oldest democracy.

In this article, we have covered the Primary difference between the Indian and US Governments based on different constitutional aspects.

Let’s dive right in.

Difference Between Indian Government and US Government

Aspect	Indian Government	US Government
Constitution	Governed by the Constitution of India	Governed by the Constitution of the United States
Type of Government	Federal Parliamentary Republic	Federal Presidential Republic
Head of State	President	President
Head of Government	Prime Minister	President
Legislative Branch	Bicameral: Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and Lok Sabha (House of the People)	Bicameral: Senate and House of Representatives
Executive Branch	President and Council of Ministers	President and Cabinet
Judicial Branch	Supreme Court and lower courts	Supreme Court and lower federal courts
Election Process	Direct elections for Parliament and Prime Minister	Indirect elections for President and Vice President; Direct elections for Congress
Role of Prime Minister	Head of government, appointed by the President	Head of government, elected by the people
Role of President	Head of state, ceremonial duties	Head of state and government, executive powers
Term Length	Prime Minister: No fixed term, based on support in Parliament	President: 4 years, Congress: 2 years
Checks and Balances	Exists between the Executive and Legislative branches	Exists between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches
Federal Structure	Divided into states and union territories	Divided into states and federal districts
Citizenship	Indian Citizenship Act	14th Amendment to the Constitution
Political Parties	Multiple parties with major ones being Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party	Multiple parties with major ones being Democratic and Republican Parties

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Difference Between Indian Government and US Government – FAQs

What are the differences between the US and Indian constitutions?

The primary differences between the US and Indian constitutions:

• The US Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in use, while India’s Constitution is one of the longest.
• The US Constitution is more concise, with only 7 articles, while India’s Constitution has 22 parts with numerous articles and schedules.
• The US Constitution follows a federal system with strong central government powers, while India’s Constitution combines federal and unitary features with a federal structure.

What is the difference between US executive and Indian executive?

• The US executive consists of the President who is both head of state and government, while in India, there’s a President as head of state and a Prime Minister as head of government.
• The US President is elected indirectly through the Electoral College, while India’s Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha, elected by the people

What is the difference between separation of powers in India and the United States?

• Both India and the US follow the doctrine of separation of powers, but the specifics differ. In the US, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are more distinctly separated, while in India, there’s some overlap between the executive and legislative branches.
• In India, the President is a part of the executive and legislative branches, while in the US, the President is solely in the executive branch.

How is India’s government different from the United States?

• Both India and the US follow the doctrine of separation of powers, but the specifics differ. In the US, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are more distinctly separated, while in India, there’s some overlap between the executive and legislative branches.
• In India, the President is a part of the executive and legislative branches, while in the US, the President is solely in the executive branch.

What is the difference between the union of states and the federation of states?

• India follows a parliamentary system where the executive is accountable to the legislature, while the US follows a presidential system with a clear separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.
• India’s Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha, while the US President is directly elected by the people