Indian Polity is one of the most important subjects for the UPSC CSE examination. All aspiring candidates must have an in-depth understanding of the UPSC Polity Syllabus as it is tested in all three stages of the UPSC CSE exam, i.e., the Prelims, Mains, and Interview. In the UPSC Prelims, it is an important component of the GS Paper I, as well as being tested in the GS Paper II in the Mains. Aspirants can read on to find the detailed Polity syllabus for both Prelims and Mains.
Polity is the study of the Indian Constitution, governance, and the country’s political and administrative framework. It includes both static concepts, such as fundamental rights and duties, directive principles, etc., and dynamic elements, such as current amendments and recent judgments.
It carries a significant weightage in both Prelims and Mains, thus having conceptual clarity in the subject will go a long way in improving the candidate’s overall score.
Indian Polity encompasses the entire constitutional framework and how our political system works. We've broken down the Indian Polity topics mentioned in the UPSC notification into subtopics, which will ease your preparation journey. Go through each of these topics in detail from standard sources such as the NCERT and the Laxmikanth book to prepare for Indian Polity for UPSC.
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Indian Polity Syllabus for UPSC |
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Topic |
Subtopic |
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Constitutional Framework |
Historical Background |
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System of Government |
Parliamentary System |
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Central Government |
President |
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State Government |
Governor |
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Union Territories & Local Government |
Union Territories |
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Constitutional Bodies |
Election Commission |
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Non-Constitutional Bodies |
Planning Commission |
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Miscellaneous |
Cooperative Societies |
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Emergency Provisions |
National Emergency |
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Current Affairs |
Important Schemes (both Central & State) |
For the complete UPSC syllabus, refer to the linked article.
The Constitution of India is the foundation of Indian polity, as it lays down the entire working framework. Hence, from the demand for a constituent assembly to the development of the constitution, you need to study everything in depth. Lately, questions based on analytical skills have been asked in the UPSC CSE. Hence, you should thoroughly prepare each of the topics mentioned above to attempt the questions asked from the polity syllabus for UPSC. Here are some tips for the preparation of Indian polity for UPSC:
Polity comprises a significant part of the GS-I Paper in Prelims. Candidates can expect approximately 15-20 questions from polity in the Prelims each year. The following is the exact number of questions asked from Polity in the previous years. Thus, preparing it in a focused manner can significantly improve a candidate’s score.
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Number of Polity Questions in UPSC Prelims |
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2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
2017 |
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18 |
15 |
12 |
16 |
18 |
13 |
11 |
22 |
The UPSC Polity syllabus includes topics like the Indian Constitution, its historical background, features, evolution, Fundamental Rights, Duties, Directive Principles, and the functioning of the Union and State executive, legislature, and judiciary, as well as Panchayati Raj and local governance. The detailed syllabus is provided in the article above.
Approximately 15-20 Polity questions are asked in the Prelims exam each year. The paper had 18 Polity questions in 2024 and 15 questions in 2023, according to the trend.
You can start preparing for Polity by using the following steps:
Yes, Polity is important for the interview round. Questions on the Constitution, governance, and recent political developments can be asked to test a candidate's awareness and analytical ability.
Polity carries 15-20% weightage in the Prelims, which means candidates can expect 15-20 questions out of 100 to be from Polity. This makes it an important and high-scoring element of the syllabus and shouldn't be ignored.
