In the last 3-4 years, it is clear that the sources from which UPSC frames questions have undergone as a drastic change.
Gone are the days when aspirants can prepare Indian Polity from a single textbook. Now, aspirants need to learn multiple textbooks to answer the kind of questions asked in the UPSC question paper.
Recommended IAS Books for Indian Polity – Civil Services Preliminary Exam
Indian Polity is a major part of General Studies Paper 1 in Civil Services Exam Prelims.
This paper includes questions from Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues etc.
In this post, let’s see the most-referred books by aspirants to study Indian Polity for UPSC CSE Preliminary exam. The books are extremely useful for UPSC Mains Exam (written) as well. Links are provided to buy the books online at a discounted price.
1. Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations – M. Laxmikanth
The book ‘Indian Polity’ by Laxmikanth needs no introduction. It is one of the most popular and comprehensive books on the subject and has been a consistent bestseller for many years.
Buy online: Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations – M. Laxmikanth.
2. Important Acts that Transformed India – Alex Andrews George
Questions worth 22 marks in UPSC Civil Services Exam (Prelims) 2019 were from a single topic – Important Acts enacted by Indian Parliament. There is no surprise in this because UPSC expects future Civil Servants to be knowledgeable about the important Acts/Bills/Rules etc.
The book ‘Important Acts that Transformed India‘ is an all-in-one book which covers all important Acts, Rules, and Regulations relevant for UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) General Studies Papers – I, II, III, and IV.
The book uses a unique approach which divides 100 must-know Acts topic-wise – into 12 Parts correlating with the subjects in the latest UPSC CSE Syllabus. Each chapter (Act) is divided into – introduction, background, objective, main provisions, amendments, criticism, importance and impact.
Buy online – Important Acts that Transformed India.
3. Important Judgments that Transformed India – Alex Andrews George
‘Important Judgments that Transformed India‘ is a compilation of 30+ landmark Supreme court cases, every UPSC aspirant should be aware of. This book will perfectly complement ‘Indian Polity’ by Laxmikanth. The book also features mindmaps, tables, and previous year questions to make the learning experience as easy as possible.
Buy online – Important Judgments that Transformed India.
Books for Extra Reference: Indian Polity and Constitution
We consider the above 3 books are the core textbooks to prepare Indian Polity for various competitive exams now. The merit of the above books is that those are written in an exam-perspective which makes your job easy.
However, if you wish to read more textbooks by scholars, there are many books by experts in the field. Listing out a few useful reference textbooks.
1. Introduction to the Constitution of India – Durga Das Basu
The Introduction To The Constitution Of India, by Dr. Durga Das Basu, is an analytical piece of work that is immensely helpful for those who are aspiring to write competitive examinations held by the Union or State Public Service Commission. Many toppers refer this book for UPSC CSE mains. Buy online: Introduction to the Constitution of India – Durga Das Basu.
2. Our Constitution Paperback – Subhash C. Kashyap
The book, ‘Our Constitution’ by Subhash C. Kashyap is a book that gives the readers an ideal introduction to the Indian Constitution. Subhash C. Kashyap is a famous scholar known for his expertise on the matters of Parliament. This book is written in such a format that readers from all backgrounds will be able to understand the concepts effectively. Buy online: Our Constitution Paperback – Subhash C. Kashyap.
3. Our Parliament – Subhash Kashyap
It is a comprehensive guide on Indian Parliament by Subhash C. Kashyap, who is a former Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha Secretariat as well as a former Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha. Buy online: Our Parliament – Subhash Kashyap.
4. Indian Polity – By Spectrum
Indian Polity by Spectrum examines the constitutional framework of the present-day political system in India. It also discusses various issues pertaining to the working of the Constitution. Recent reports of the Law Commission and the latest Finance Commission report have also been given to widening the understanding of political issues. Buy Online – Indian Polity by Spectrum
Approach to learn Indian Polity
To study Indian Polity, we suggest an approach which is a mix of ias books (text-books) and ClearIAS online notes (free).
In-Depth knowledge of Indian Constitution is necessary to score high in polity questions of Paper 1 (General Studies). So we suggest you know the fundamentals of Indian Constitution first.
Bookmark Indian Polity Section of ClearIAS.com for free notes, which will help you a lot for quick last-minute revision. And finally, enroll for ClearIAS Prelims Mock Test Series, which will help you be familiar with the type of objective questions asked in UPSC Civil Services Exam.
Many Many Thanks
@Abhishek – You are welcome. Happy that you found the post useful.
nice
@Jarnika – Thank you. Glad that you find the article helpful.
nice
@Shravan – Thank you. Glad that you find the article helpful.
Thanks à lot
@Yogendra – You are welcome. Happy that you found the post useful.
Spectrum’s Indian Polity is also very useful
@Satya: Thank you for the inputs. The book is added among reference textbooks.
Thank you so much for this help sir😊