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Polity & Governance 2025

Elections held in 2025, the new Vice-President, important Acts passed by Parliament, Supreme Court rulings, changes of Chief Justice and the notification of Census 2027.

Lessons in this module

Elections of 2025: Delhi, Bihar and the Vice-President

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Important Acts and Bills of 2025

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Judiciary, Constitutional Posts and Census 2027

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Lesson notes

1. Elections of 2025: Delhi, Bihar and the Vice-President

Two State Assembly elections and one Vice-Presidential election made news in 2025. Exams ask about dates, seat numbers, the winning side and who took oath. This lesson gives the facts as declared by the Election Commission and official sources.

Delhi Assembly election (February 2025)

Polling for all 70 seats of the Delhi Legislative Assembly was held on 5 February 2025.
Results were declared on 8 February 2025: BJP won 48 seats and AAP won 22.
It was the first BJP government in Delhi since 1998.
Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Chief Minister on 20 February 2025. She is the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi.
Vijender Gupta became Speaker, and Atishi (AAP) became Leader of the Opposition.

Bihar Assembly election (November 2025)

Polling for the 243-member Bihar Assembly was held in two phases, on 6 and 11 November 2025.
Before the polls, the Election Commission carried out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar; opposition parties criticised the exercise.
Results were declared on 14 November 2025. The NDA won 202 seats and the Mahagathbandhan won 35.
Party-wise: BJP 89, JD(U) 85, LJP (Ram Vilas) 19, HAM (Secular) 5, RLM 4; RJD 25, Congress 6; AIMIM 5.
BJP emerged as the single largest party. Nitish Kumar (JD(U)) took oath as Chief Minister for a record tenth time on 20 November 2025.

Vice-Presidential election (September 2025)

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on 21 July 2025, citing health reasons.
The election was held on 9 September 2025. The electoral college is made up of members of both Houses of Parliament.
NDA candidate C. P. Radhakrishnan won with 452 votes. The opposition INDIA bloc candidate, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, got 300 votes.
Radhakrishnan was Governor of Maharashtra before the election.
He took oath as the 15th Vice-President of India on 12 September 2025. The Vice-President is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Quick facts

Delhi poll / result: 5 Feb 2025 / 8 Feb 2025 (BJP 48, AAP 22)
Delhi CM: Rekha Gupta, sworn in 20 Feb 2025
Bihar phases: 6 and 11 Nov 2025; result 14 Nov
Bihar NDA tally: 202 of 243 (BJP 89, JD(U) 85)
Bihar CM: Nitish Kumar, 10th oath, 20 Nov 2025
Dhankhar resigned: 21 July 2025
15th Vice-President: C. P. Radhakrishnan (452 votes vs 300)

💡 Remember numbers in pairs: Delhi 48–22, Bihar 202–35, Vice-President 452–300.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

2. Important Acts and Bills of 2025

Parliament passed several important laws in 2025. Exams ask which old laws were replaced, the dates of Presidential assent and the main features. Here we cover laws on waqf, immigration, online gaming and nuclear energy, plus one major Constitution Amendment Bill.

Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025

Passed by the Lok Sabha on 3 April 2025 (288 for, 232 against) and by the Rajya Sabha on 4 April 2025 (128 for, 95 against).
President Droupadi Murmu gave assent on 5 April 2025; it came into force on 8 April 2025.
It renamed the Waqf Act, 1995 as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Act.
Main changes: non-Muslim members on Waqf Boards and the Central Waqf Council, removal of 'waqf by user', and a rule that only a person practising Islam for at least five years can create a waqf.
The government said the law improves transparency in waqf management; opposition parties and several petitioners called it unconstitutional and challenged it in the Supreme Court.

Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025

Received Presidential assent on 4 April 2025 and came into force on 1 September 2025.
It replaced four old laws: the Passport (Entry into India) Act 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act 1939, the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 2000.
Hotels, universities, hospitals and nursing homes must report information about foreigners staying with them.
Using a forged passport or visa can be punished with 2 to 7 years in prison and a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Online Gaming Act, Nuclear Energy Act and the 130th Amendment Bill

Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025: passed by the Lok Sabha (20 Aug) and Rajya Sabha (21 Aug); assent on 22 August 2025.
It bans online money games (games played by paying money in the hope of winning money) and their advertising, while promoting e-sports and online social games.
SHANTI Act, 2025 (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India): passed in the Winter Session and received assent in December 2025.
SHANTI repeals the Atomic Energy Act 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010, and allows licensed private companies to build and operate nuclear power plants.
The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 20 August 2025. It proposes removal of the PM, a Chief Minister or a minister held in custody for 30 consecutive days on serious charges. It was sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee; the opposition opposed it.

Quick facts

Waqf Act assent / in force: 5 April 2025 / 8 April 2025
UMEED: New name of the Waqf Act, 1995
Immigration & Foreigners Act: In force 1 Sept 2025; replaced 4 old laws
Foreigners Act: 1946 (repealed in 2025)
Online Gaming Act assent: 22 August 2025
SHANTI Act: Nuclear energy; opens sector to private firms
130th Amendment Bill: Removal of PM/CM/minister in custody 30 days

💡 For every new Act, learn three things: the date of assent, the law it replaced, and one key feature.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

3. Judiciary, Constitutional Posts and Census 2027

2025 saw three Chief Justices of India, important Supreme Court opinions on the powers of Governors, a new Chief Election Commissioner and the official notification of the next Census.

Chief Justices of India in 2025

Justice Sanjiv Khanna (51st CJI) retired on 13 May 2025.
Justice B. R. Gavai took oath as the 52nd CJI on 14 May 2025. He was the first Buddhist CJI and the second from the Dalit community after K. G. Balakrishnan.
Justice Gavai retired on 23 November 2025.
Justice Surya Kant took oath as the 53rd CJI on 24 November 2025 at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He is the first CJI from Haryana.

Supreme Court and the powers of Governors

On 8 April 2025, in State of Tamil Nadu v. Governor of Tamil Nadu, a two-judge bench said a Governor cannot hold back bills indefinitely and set time limits for action.
Using Article 142, that bench treated 10 Tamil Nadu bills as having received assent.
The President then sought the Supreme Court's opinion under Article 143 (advisory jurisdiction) on these questions.
On 20 November 2025, a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by CJI Gavai said courts cannot fix timelines for the Governor or President, and that 'deemed assent' is not part of the constitutional scheme.
The Bench also said Governors cannot sit on bills indefinitely. The opinion was given under the advisory jurisdiction.

Other governance events

Gyanesh Kumar took charge as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner on 19 February 2025. He was the first CEC appointed under the 2023 Act on appointment of Election Commissioners.
On 15 September 2025, the Supreme Court refused to stay the whole Waqf (Amendment) Act but put some provisions on hold, including the five-years-practising-Islam rule (until rules are framed).
President's Rule was imposed in Manipur on 13 February 2025, after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned on 9 February.
On 30 April 2025, the Union Cabinet decided that caste enumeration will be part of the next Census.
The Census notification was issued on 16 June 2025. The reference date is 1 March 2027; for Ladakh and snow-bound areas of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand it is 1 October 2026.
Census 2027 will be India's 16th Census and its first digital Census, with an option of self-enumeration.

Quick facts

52nd CJI: B. R. Gavai (14 May – 23 Nov 2025)
53rd CJI: Surya Kant (from 24 Nov 2025)
TN Governor case: 8 April 2025, Article 142, 10 bills
Presidential Reference opinion: 20 Nov 2025: no court-fixed timelines, no deemed assent
26th CEC: Gyanesh Kumar (19 Feb 2025)
Census notification: 16 June 2025
Census reference date: 1 March 2027 (1 Oct 2026 for snow-bound areas)

💡 Article 143 = President asks the Supreme Court for advice. Article 142 = Supreme Court's power to do 'complete justice'. Do not mix them up.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

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