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Polity Syllabus For UPSC Prelims & Mains - Polity Optional Syllabus for UPSC

Also Read Polity Syllabus For UPSC Prelims & Mains - Polity Optional Syllabus for UPSC in Hindi

Indian Polity Syllabus for UPSC is a vital exam resource for candidates preparing for the prestigious Civil Services examination. The Indian Polity subject is a part of both UPSC IAS Prelims and Mains exam stages. Candidates must thoroughly prepare the official Polity UPSC Syllabus for Prelims GS Paper 1 as 15-20 questions are asked from it. On the other hand, there is a dedicated UPSC Mains GS-2 paper for 250 marks in which questions are exclusively asked from advanced topics from the Polity syllabus for UPSC. It emphasises the entire political system with coverage of the Constitution, Parliamentary system, Unions & States, Local Administrative Bodies, Emergency Provisions, Public Policy and more.

The importance of studying the Indian Polity syllabus for UPSC is that it will nurture your public administration skills with an awareness of constitutional & non-constitutional bodies, governance & justice and current affairs. Polity is also one of the five subjects included in the UPSC GS Paper 2 Syllabus in Mains that relates to the Indian Constitution, Governance & Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations. As per our expert analysis, studying this entire Polity syllabus for UPSC will be quite helpful for aspirants as its topics generally overlap with the UPSC Prelims & Mains syllabus.

In this article, we will make a detailed coverage of the entire Polity UPSC syllabus with key topics asked in Prelims & Mains along with the best preparation strategy, books, and sample questions.

Overview of UPSC Polity Syllabus for UPSC Prelims & Mains

The UPSC Polity syllabus for the Civil Services Examination is vast and arduous for both Prelims and Mains. At the Preliminary level, it consists of the essential features of the Indian Constitution, Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles, working of the Union and State Governments, Parliament, State Legislatures, and the judiciary. It also deals with the important constitutional, statutory, and regulatory bodies. For Mains, the syllabus goes deeper into the comparison of the Indian constitutional framework with other countries, detailed workings of Parliament and State Legislatures, the Representation of People's Act, and the role of civil services in a democracy. It further extends to governance, transparency, accountability, and the role of NGOs.

Polity Syllabus for UPSC PDF

Before downloading the Indian Polity syllabus for UPSC PDF given below in the direct link, all aspirants must understand this subject in a broader picture. While going through the UPSC Polity Syllabus PDF, candidates will get a range of topics, from the country’s constitutional framework to parliamentary wings (legislative, executive & judicial bodies).

Download Indian Polity Syllabus UPSC PDF

Polity Syllabus UPSC PDF

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Polity Syllabus for UPSC Prelims

Candidates appearing for UPSC Prelims will have to study the UPSC Prelims Polity syllabus for Paper 1 (GS I paper). In the UPSC Civil Services General Studies paper 1, a total of 100 questions will be asked for 200 marks. Out of this, around 15-20 questions will be asked from the syllabus of Polity for UPSC. Only objective questions will be asked from the syllabus for Indian Polity for UPSC Prelims.

Important Topics of UPSC Prelims Polity Syllabus

Now that candidates have a thorough understanding of the UPSC Polity Prelims Syllabus in detail, some of the important topics handpicked by our experts are as follows -

  • Constitution
  • Political System
  • Panchayati Raj
  • Public Policy
  • Parliamentary Rights & Issues, etc.

Polity Syllabus for UPSC Mains

Candidates need to prepare from the UPSC syllabus Polity for Mains in General Studies Paper 2. This paper consists of 250 marks and most topics from UPSC Mains Syllabus on Polity overlap with those of Prelims GS-I paper. 

The Polity UPSC syllabus is very comprehensive given the number of topic categories and chapters involved. Thus, our experts have created a comprehensive topic-wise Polity syllabus for UPSC Prelims & Mains preparation in combination. The syllabus table given below can be exhaustive. Candidates are recommended to handpick topics after targeted UPSC Exam Analysis for solid preparation.

Topic-wise IAS Indian Polity Syllabus for Mains

Topic

Sub-topics

Preamble of Indian Constitution

Features of preamble

42nd Amendment Act

Swaran Singh Committee

Schedules Of Indian Constitution

12 Schedules and Articles - Basic Idea

Constitution of India

Important Articles of Indian Constitution

Making of Indian Constitution

Salient Features of Indian Constitution

Sources Of Indian Constitution

Top 85 Articles of Indian Constitution

Union & its Territory

Article 1 to 4 - Basic Idea

Different State-Reorganisation Commissions

Characteristics of Federation

Recent issues

Citizenship

Article 5 to 11- Basic Idea

PIO, NRI, OCI & Pravasi Bhartiya Divas

Privileges available for Indian citizens & foreigners

Citizenship Amendment Act

Latest policies, schemes & recent changes in voting.

Fundamental Rights (FR)

Article 12 to 35 - Basic Idea

Basic Idea of Articles 14 to 30

Right to Constitutional Remedies Article 32

Rights & privileges available to Indian citizens only & both to citizens & foreigners

Different types of Writs

Enforcement & Exceptional cases of FRs

Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)

Articles 36-51 - Basic Idea

Article 368

Sources & key features of DPSP

Classification

Difference between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles

Kesavananda Bharati Case 1973

Minerva Mills v. Union of India (1980)

Golaknath Case

Maneka Gandhi Case

Important Major Amendments of the Indian Constitution

42nd Constitutional Amendment Act

97th amendment

Criticism of the Amendment Procedure of the Indian Constitution

National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)

Fundamental Duties(FD)

11 Fundamental Duties in India Under Article 51A

Significance & Criticism

Enforcement of FDs

FD Recent News

The Union

The Union Executive (Article 52 to 78)

Parliament (Article 79 to 122)

Union Executive and Its Types

President And Governor

Legislature (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha)

Supreme Court of India

Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Presidents of India

Vice President Of India

Cabinet Ministers

Resignation & impeachment

Attorney General (AG) of India

Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings such as Question Hour, Zero Hour, & Adjournment Motion, etc.

The Rajya Sabha

Anti-defection law & 10th schedule

Parliamentary Privileges and Immunities

Differences between Act and Law

Basic Budget Concepts

Bills

Parliamentary Committees

Electoral Reforms in India

Election Laws in India

Judiciary

Article 124 to 147 - Basic Idea

Difference between High Court and Supreme Court

Qualification & appointment

Removal procedure

Recent controversy, verdicts, & constitutional provisions on Judiciary.

State Government- State Executive

Appointment, Removal & Powers of Governor

Pardoning Power of Governor

Appointment of Chief Minister, Power & Functions

Advocate General of State

State Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad)

Bicameral legislatures

Union Territories of India

Statehood For Delhi

Administration & jurisdiction in UT’s

Administration of Special Areas

5th and 6th Schedule

Article 370

Difference between constitutional provisions related to Jammu & Kashmir, etc

Emergency Provisions of Indian Constitution

National Emergency enlisted under Article 352,

President's Rule enlisted under Article 356 and

Article 360 - Financial Emergency

44th Constitutional Amendment Act

Effects & implications of emergency

Role of President in Emergency

Revoking emergency

Centre State Relations

Seventh Schedule Of Indian Constitution

Articles 262 & 263

Difference Between Niti Aayog and Inter State Council

Inter-State Trade & Commerce

Centre-state Legislative, Administrative & Financial Functions

Punchhi Committee

Covid-19 and Indian Federalism

Centre-State Relations (1950-67)

National Development Council

States Reorganisation Act of 1956

Second Phase of Centre-State Relations (1967-77)

Third Phase of Centre-State Relations Trends (1977-89)

Final Phase of Centre-State Relations (1989-onwards)

Panchayati Raj & Municipalities

Elections, auditing, powers & authority of panchayats

3-tier system - Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zilla Parishad

73rd Amendment Act & 74th Amendment Act

Panchayati Raj Schemes

Metropolitan planning committee & urban development

Constitutional, Statutory and Quasi Judicial Bodies

Medical Council of India

National Human Rights Commission

National Commission for Women

National Commission for Minorities

National Law Commission

National Green Tribunal

Armed Forces Tribunal

Securities & Exchange Board of India

Central Vigilance Commission

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Competition Commission of India

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

National Legal Services Authority

Finance Commission

UPSC

The Election Commission

The CAG

National Commissions for SCs and STs

Central Information Commission

Tribunals

Article 323A & tribunals under Article 323B

Different tribunals & importance

Recent controversial issues

Special Provisions for SC’s, ST’s, Backward Classes, Minorities & Anglo-Indians

Debate on Reservations in Constituent Assembly

Tribal Land Issues and his Tribal Rights in India

Issues related to vulnerable sections like women, child, SC’s, ST’s, Backward Classes, Minorities & Anglo-Indians

Privileges & right issued to SC’s, ST’s, Backward Classes, Minorities & Anglo-Indians

Current Affairs

Recent issues on Indian Polity & Governance

List of All Schemes of Indian Government for UPSC!

Government Schemes & Policies Current Affairs 2023

Recent Government Bills & Governance- Actions

Indian Polity Syllabus for UPSC - Prelims Weightage

As per the official UPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims, candidates will need to prepare the Polity syllabus for UPSC exam only for the GS-I paper. The Polity section has been always known for its high weighting and scoring nature in UPSC Prelims stage. Thus, let’s check out the year-wise Polity syllabus for UPSC Prelims weightage below.

Polity Syllabus Weightage in UPSC Prelims Exam

Year

No. of Polity Questions Asked

2023

15

2022

21

2021

16

2020

16

2019

15

2018

13

2017

22

2016

7

2015

12

Also, check the UPSC Prelims Strategy for Polity in detail here!

Tips to Prepare For Polity Mains Syllabus for UPSC

Once candidates have gone through the official Indian Polity Syllabus for UPSC Prelims and Mains above, it’s important to follow the right preparation strategy, Below we have shared some of the strategic approaches that you can implement in your UPSC study plan to score most questions rightly from the Polity syllabus for UPSC.

  • First, go through the respective UPSC Prelims and Mains syllabus for the stage appearing for and then tally with the key topics given above from UPSC Polity syllabus for selective study.
  • Next, refer to Political Science NCERT Books For UPSC of 9th to 12th std. to strengthen your fundamentals of the UPSC Polity optional syllabus easily. 
  • Prepare short notes on the entire UPSC Polity syllabus in a topic-wise manner using pens and highlighters for good last-minute revision. 
  • Refer to exclusive Polity Notes for UPSC PDF for good offline preparation at anywhere, anytime. 
  • Attempt exclusive UPSC Polity Test Series brought up by Testbook on 50+ mock tests to master every detail of the Indian Polity syllabus for UPSC IAS. 
  • Read national newspapers and magazines like Kurukshetra, Yojana on a daily basis to stay updated on recent Polity schemes.
  • Practice UPSC Previous Year Question Papers to get a real-time idea of the type and frequency of questions asked from the Polity syllabus for UPSC. 

Candidates can also check out the UPSC Polity preparation strategy video below.

List of Books to Cover Polity Mains Syllabus for UPSC 

Once you’ve completely referred to the Indian Polity syllabus for UPSC exam given above, it’s very essential to start preparing with expert study materials and recommended books. UPSC Books of Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth and DD Basu’s Introduction to Indian Constitution are two of our top picks that will help you cover most of the UPSC Polity syllabus in depth. However, candidates who want to take an advanced approach on Prelims or Mains, can also refer to the expert list of Polity Books for UPSC. This can also be used to prepare for the Polity optional syllabus for UPSC. 

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