1947–1950

The situation in early years of independent India were full of disruptive events like Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India from West Punjab, North-West Frontier of Punjab, Baluchistan, East Bengal and Sindh after the communal violence in Pakistan.
Nathuram Godse, a revolutionary affiliated with the Hindu Nationalist movement held Mahatma Gandhi responsible for India’s partition and also accused him of appeasing Muslims. He assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948.
In 1949, Hindu refugees fled into West Bengal and other states from East Pakistan following communal violence, bullying and repression from Muslim authorities. The treaty signed by Nehru and Liaquat Ali Khan plighted to protect minorities and to create minorities commission by both India and Pakistan. Both also signed a trade agreement, to resolve bilateral disputes through peaceful means.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel lead Government of India for political negotiations backed with the option (and, on several occasions, the use) of military action to ensure the primacy of the Central government and of the Constitution then being drafted.
The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India, that was drafted by a committee headed by B. R. Ambedkar, on November 26, 1949 and came into force w.e.f January 26,1950. India became a democratic republic and Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India.

1950s and 1960s

India held its first constitutional elections in 1952. The National Congress Party won majority, and Jawaharlal Nehru was made Prime Minister & Dr. Rajendra Prasad was re-elected as President of India.
Congress won 1957 and 1962 elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Nehru. The Parliament passed panoptic reforms to give more legal rights to women, and also framed laws against caste discrimination and untouchability. Land reforms and green revolution became symbols of transformation of rural economy. Many schools, colleges and institutions for providing primary and advanced learning, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology were founded across the nation. He firmly advocated socialist model for Indian economy. No taxes were imposed on Indian farmers, minimum wage and benefits for working-class, and the nationalization of steel, aviation, shipping, electricity and mining industries.
In April 1954 Nehru traveled to Peking (as Beijing was then known) where he met Chinese leaders Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong (in pic). April 29 became a red-letter day in the history of Sino-Indian ties for the declaration of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known as Panchsheel (inspired in part from the Pancasila – the five principles for the foundation of Indonesia as laid out by the nation’s first president Sukarno), which comprised respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence. The refrain “Hindi Chini bhai bhai” was common during the 1950s as the two countries ignored the odd border skirmish to maintain peaceful relations. Within a few years, India and China fell out over China’s occupation of Tibet.
States Reorganization Act was passed in 1956 by the States Reorganization Commission, who directed the creation of new states on the basis of spoken language and ethnic demographics.
After the 1959 Tibetan Uprising and India’s decision to grant refuge to Tibetans fleeing the Chinese occupation of their homeland, India’s relations with China were simmering. They finally came to a boil over disputes concerning two border areas – Aksai Chin on the border of Kashmir and Xinjiang, and Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India, a consequence of the Chinese refusal to accept the McMahon Line that was drawn in 1914 as the historical border between China and British India. Skirmishes and hostilities escalated as the Chinese built up troops and reinforcements in two places along the disputed border. Pt. Nehru ‘s aspiration of establishing strong bilateral relations with China were marred by the commencement of war from 20th October, 1962 to 21st November, 1962. The Chinese aggression was timed to coincide with the Cuban Missile Crisis in which the United States and the Soviet Union were involved, as this meant both powers would not involve themselves with the happenings in southern Asia.
Nehru’s Forward Policy and assertion of the McMahon Line as the boundary was criticized and he lost standing for failing to foresee China’s motives. Defense Minister V K Krishna Menon resigned accepting responsibility for India’s lack of military preparedness. The war called for a review of India’s foreign policy – from ‘brotherly’ ties with China, Nehru began to look west.
India’s first prime minister was a troubled man after India’s defeat in the 1962 war with China. Facing criticism internally and losing Congress political strongholds in Kerala in the 1962 election, he took ill and spent his time recuperating in Kashmir. On returning to Delhi he suffered a stroke and later a heart attack. He died on May 27. Despite criticism of some of his policies, Nehru was an acknowledged statesman and visionary who led a young nation out of post-Independence darkness.
After the death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, Gulzarilal Nanda became acting Prime Minister.
Lal Bahadur Shastri succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister. The Tashkent Agreement was signed on January 10, 1966 between India and Pakistan under the mediation of the Soviet government for establishing peace.
Shastri’s empathy for the subaltern classes is conveyed through the slogan, “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”, “Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer”, which is attributed to him and through which he is remembered at Vijay Ghat, the national memorial to him in New Delhi in the proximity of Rajghat,

Then as a result of the elections nation saw the rise of Indira Gandhi after the death of Lal Bhadur Shastri. She put an end to the privy purse guarantee for former Indian royalty, and waged a major offensive against party hierarchy over the nationalization of India's banks. The Indian National Congress split in the year 1969.

Nagaland, at the northeastern tip of India, was inducted into India as its 16th state on December 1, 1963. The region was a designated home for 15 officially recognized Naga tribes, many of whom also live in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Naga tribes had little contact with the outside world until Christian missionaries arrived in the 1870s and over 95 per cent of Naga people have embraced the faith. The British, who annexed Assam following the Treaty of Yandabo after the First Anglo-Burmese War, attempted to reach out to the tribes but conflicts often took place. Even as India announced independence from the British Crown in 1947, the Nagas pressed for a sovereign nation of their own. Talks with the Government of India, which began in June that year with recognition of the Nagas’ right to “self-determination”, continued until 1952 when a rebellion by the Naga National Council, which pressed for secession from India, was crushed by Indian armed forces. In 1962, India assembled the controversial Naga People’s Convention and following an agreement granted statehood to Nagaland in 1963. The move was seen by the rebels as a great betrayal of Naga interests. Since then, Nagaland has had a troubled relationship with the Government of India, although talks have been held periodically after the National Socialist Council of Nagaland was founded by Thuingaleng Muivah, Isaac Swu and S Khaplang in 1970

1970s

Indira Gandhi and Congress returned to power winning huge majority in 1971. The banks were nationalized and many other socialist economic and industrial policies were enacted during that period. Bangladesh was separated as a result of Bangladesh Liberation War. India signed a 20-year treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union. In 1974, India conducted its first nuclear test in Pokharan Rajasthan. Sikkim was formally declared as India's 21st state on April 26, 1975.
The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 was fought for the independence of East Pakistan into the nation of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
An ardent follower of Gandhiji and a Marxist, Jayaprakash Narayan raised his voice against corruption in 1974. He was titled as ‘Loknayak’- People’s leader. He provided common people a platform to voice their opinions against the problems faced by them and it led to the mass movement that changed the history of Indian politics.
The Allahabad High Court found Indira Gandhi guilty of misusing government machinery for election purposes. Opposition parties conducted nationwide strikes and protests demanding her immediate resignation. In 1975, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared emergency which gave the powers to defend law and order in the nation to the Central government. Explaining the breakdown of law and order and threat to national security as her primary reasons, Mrs. Gandhi suspended many civil liberties and postponed national and state elections. Non-Congress governments in Indian states were dismissed, and opposition political leaders and activists imprisoned. Strikes and public protests were criminalized in all forms.
Indira announced a 20-point programme which enhanced agricultural and industrial production, increasing national growth, productivity and job growth. Indira called for elections in 1977, and was defeated by Janata Party.

Morarji Desai became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India. The Desai administration established judicatures to investigate Emergency-era abuses. The coalition crumbled in 1979 and Charan Singh formed an interim government. The Janata party had become intensely unpopular due to its internal conflicts, and its inability to lead India to solve serious economic and social problems.

1980-1989

Indira Gandhi and her Congress (I) party bounce back into power with a large majority in January, 1980. Four months after Operation Blue Star , Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, on 31 October 1984, in what is viewed as an act of vengeance. Communal violence erupted in Delhi and parts of Punjab.
The Congress party chose Rajiv Gandhi, as the next Prime Minister. Rajiv Gandhi at 40 was the youngest political leader and Prime Minister ever. His administration brought a youthful insight to the existing problems. Congress party had its biggest win under Rajiv with largest majority in history (over 415 seats out of 545 possible).
Rajiv Gandhi relaxed license raj, governmental restrictions on foreign currency, travel, foreign investment and imports. As Prime Minister, Rajiv increased economic aid and scientific cooperation. He also encouraged science and technology which led to the expansion of the telecommunications industry, India's space program and gave birth to the software industry and information technology sector.
In 1987 India acted as mediator in an agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. Rajiv sent Indian Peace Keeping force to enforce the agreement and disarm the Tamil rebels. IPKF was withdrawn by VP Singh in 1990. With the outbreak of Bofors scandal that revealed that senior government officials had taken bribes over defence contracts by a Swedish guns producer shattered Rajiv Gandhi's image of an honest politician.

1989-91

But Rajiv’s premiership was to be marked by numerous political disasters, and Rajiv’s own name was tainted by the allegation that he had received huge bribes from a Swedish firm of Bofors, manufacturers of a machine-gun for which the Indian army placed a large order. His own finance minister, V. P. Singh (1931-), once a Indira Gandhi loyalist who had been picked by her in 1980 to serve as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, turned against Rajiv.
VP Singh became the seventh PM of India. Singh held office for slightly less than a year, from 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990. He was instrumental in the formation of the Janta Dal (JD). Later a federation of JD with various regional parties came into being, called the National Front. The National Front fought 1989 elections and earned a simple majority in Lok Sabha with VP Singh becoming the PM.
Protests against Mandal Commission report by anti-reservationists set the nation on fire in 1990. The protests closed roads, highways, transportation services, government services, schools and businesses. The commission sought to bring into effect reservation for OBCs in government jobs. It led to the fall of VP Singh’s government at the centre.

1991-1999

On May 21, 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a bomb attack by LTTE when he was campaigning in Tamil Nadu on behalf of Congress (I). In the elections, Congress (I) won 244 parliamentary seats and put together an alliance, returning to power under the leadership of P.V. Narasimha Rao. This government opened the Indian economy to global trade and investment through announcement of New Economic policy. India's domestic politics also underwent re-shapement and gave way to a plethora of small, regionally-based political parties. India was rocked by communal violence between Hindus and Muslims following the Babri Mosque demolition by Hindu mobs in reply to Ram Janmabhoomi dispute in Ayodhya in 1992.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised in May 1996 national elections as the single-largest party in the Lok Sabha. The power of BJP alignment under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee lasted for only 13 days. A 14-party coalition led by the Janata Dal emerged to form the United Front. A United Front government under H.D. Deve Gowda again lasted for less than a year. The Congress Party withdrew his support in March 1997 and Inder Kumar Gujral replaced Deve Gowda as Prime Minister.
In November 1997, the Congress Party again withdrew support for the United Front. BJP conquered the largest number of seats in Parliament (182) in February 1998 elections. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was again appointed as Prime Minister. On May 11 and 13, 1998, a series of underground nuclear tests were done.

1999-2004

With the fall of BJP-led coalition government in April 1999, elections were held in September. In May and June 1999, Kargil War was fought in Kashmir after India discovered an elaborate campaign of terrorist infiltration. Prime Minister Vajpayee inaugurated the bus service between India and Pakistan. Terrorism increased in India with bomb blasts in leading cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Hyderabad has been very common over the years.
A new coalition led by the BJP resulted from Kargil war with Vajpayee as Prime Minister in October 1999. Then Tehelka scandal happened that accused the chief of BJP party of taking unaccounted contributions in return for promised favours, and the CBI gave chargesheet to the senior BJP leaders for inciting the demolition of the Babri mosque. In 2002, tensions increased over the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad challenged the government, by vowing to perform a religious ceremony on the disputed site. This rage resulted in burning of train in Godhra, Gujarat; 59 Hindu activists died in the mishap. This sparked off the 2002 Gujarat violence in which thousands of Hindus and Muslims died.

2004-2014

In January 2004 Vajpayee recommended early dissolution of the Lok Sabha and general elections. The Congress Party-led alliance was victorious in May 2004 elections. Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister on 22 May 2004. Manmohan Singh became the first Sikh to hold India's most powerful office. Singh has continued economic liberalization. India improved her relations, with many countries and foreign unions. Manmohan Singh talks with American President Barack Obama during the 2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit at the Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.
The decade began with scams and scandals by the leaders of the ruling party Indian National Congress. The 2G scam, Commonwealth Games scam and the Coal-gate scam brought many prominent leaders of Congress under scrutiny including the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Political activist Anna Hazare launched mass campaigns to issue Jan Lokpal Bill against corruption.

2014- 0nwards

The Indian general election of 2014 was held to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha, electing members of parliament for all 543 parliamentary constituencies from 7 April to 12 May 2014, The National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, won a sweeping victory, taking 336 seats. Narendra Damodardass Modi was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of the country.