Preparation Strategy for Indian Polity

The UPSC Examination has one of the most comprehensive syllabi out of multiple competitive examinations held in India. General Studies for Prelims and Mains forms the biggest portion of the UPSC Syllabus. Indian Polity is a topic covered under General Studies. Indian Polity for competitive exams have a lot of study material available online as well as offline and thus, it becomes imperative for IAS aspirants to have an effective preparation strategy for the polity. In this article, we will discuss what the Indian Polity
UPSC Syllabus covers, how to start preparation for Polity and which study material to refer to for Indian Polity questions for competitive examinations.

Indian Polity Meaning

Before we discuss Indian Polity for the IAS exam, it is important to know the meaning of Indian Polity.

Indian Polity means the basic structure of the Union of India as defined by the Constitution of India and framed by statutory laws, rules and procedures not covered by the constitution. The Preamble of Indian Constitution lays down the fundamental nature of our polity as a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular and Democratic Republic.

The following key points need to be kept in mind while preparing Polity for UPSC Exam:

• Indian Polity is closely related to the Indian Constitution.
• Polity has a direct bearing on governance and social justice.
• Indian polity also determines how India pursues international relations.

As we can see from the above points, General Studies (GS) Paper-II revolves around the Constitution of India and Indian Polity. We will discuss how to start preparation for Indian Polity and important topics in Indian Polity for prelims and mains.

• Start with the Syllabus of Indian Polity for UPSC Exam. Learn what would be covered and which parts of the Constitution of India directly relate to Polity.
• Next, solve all question on polity in the UPSC Question Papers you can find and identify your strong and weak areas. Identify the pattern of UPSC question asked on polity.
• Make a list of Indian Polity books from the UPSC Books list and download or buy them. Also, gather all the NCERT Notes on Polity which you need.
• Create a study and revision plan, preferably after going through the UPSC Syllabus once again.

Once this has been done, start studying and keep practicing UPSC questions till the exam.

The UPSC Syllabus on Polity covers the following subtopics:

• Parliament and State Legislatures
  • Structure
  • Functioning
  • Conduct of Business
  • Powers & Privileges
  • Issues arising out of Powers & Privileges of legislative bodies
• Executive and Judiciary
  • Structure
  • Organization
  • Functioning
• Ministries and departments of the government
• Pressure groups
• Formal & Informal associations and their role in polity
• Salient features of the People’s Representation Act

To read more on Indian Polity for UPSC, please visit:

Indian Polity Notes and Study Material

The following study material will be useful for Polity preparation for UPSC:

NCERT Books for UPSC and important topics in Polity for IAS:

• Class VI: Diversity, Government, Local Government and Administration (PM), Livelihood
• Class VII: Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 10
• Class VIII: All 10 chapters
• Class IX: All 6 chapters
• Class X: All 8 chapters
• Class XI:
  • Part 1: All 10 Chapters for Prelims and Mains
  • Part 2: Chapters 1 to 10 for Mains
• Class XII:
  • Part 1: World Politics
  • Part 2: India since Independence for Mains

Other books and topics for Indian Polity for UPSC:

• Indian Polity by Laxmikanth:
  • Salient Features of the Constitution
  • Preamble
  • Union and Its Territories
  • Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
  • Fundamental Duties
  • Fundamental Rights
  • Amendments to the Constitution
  • Basic Structure of the Parliament
  • Parliamentary Committees
  • Supreme Court
  • Special Status of Jammu and Kashmir
  • Panchayati Raj
  • Scheduled and Tribal Areas
  • Appendix XIV
• TMH Manual for General Studies
• Constitution of India by DD Basu

IAS Aspirants should be careful not to refer to too many books for Indian Polity as it will take time away from preparation of other topics. The topics mentioned above, from the UPSC Books list should be sufficient. Aspirants can also refer to UPSC Notes or make their own notes on the subject from these books.

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