Vajpayee, the BJP has fought three elections since 1996 and improved upon its position in each one. On the first occasion, it was excluded by an alliance of centrists and leftists. In January 1998, the BJP was able to form a coalition which collapsed after 18 months of constant squabbling. The recent life of the country has been dominated by a devastating earthquake in the western province of Gujarat which killed tens of thousands of people and left many more homeless and destitute. India is a federal republic with certain powers reserved to the 25 states.
Central government comprises a bicameral parliament and cabinet of ministers.
Each of the states also has an elected assembly. The bicameral national parliament consists of the lower house, the Lok Sabha , which has 542 members popularly elected for a five-year term and the upper house, the Rajya Sabha , which has 245 members indirectly elected by the state assemblies to serve six years. The Head of State is the President, while executive power is vested in the Prime Minister who is the head of the cabinet and is normally the leader of the largest party in the Lok Sabha .