IAS Syllabus 2026 - Indian Polity and Governance for prelims and mains

Deshamena RachanaUpdated on 16 Sep 2025, 02:06 PM IST

UPSC IAS Indian Polity and Governance Syllabus 2026 - UPSC prescribes the IAS syllabus for all subjects asked in the examination on the official notification. The UPSC IAS 2026 syllabus for Indian Polity and Governance covers a vast number of topics like the Constitution of India, The preamble of the Constitution, the parliamentary form of government, parliamentary committees, the union budget, the federal structure of India, the judicial system, state governments, the administration of union territories, NITI Aayog, the finance commission, the election commission, the Central Information Commission of India, Lokpal and Lokayukta, and more. The UPSC IAS 2026 exam for prelims will be conducted on May 24, 2026.

IAS Syllabus 2026 - Indian Polity and Governance for prelims and mains

UPSC IAS Indian Polity and Governance Syllabus

The IAS syllabus for Indian polity and governance over the years has not changed much for the IAS exam. Along with the IAS syllabus the UPSC IAS notification also contains the IAS exam pattern and marking scheme. Candidates must read the IAS 2026 syllabus for Indian Polity and Governance before starting their IAS exam preparation and selecting the optional subject for their mains examination. Know more about the UPSC IAS syllabus 2026 Indian Polity and Governance in the article below.

Quick Links: UPSC IAS Admit Card 2026

UPSC IAS Exam Pattern 2026

Applicants, along with the IAS syllabus for Indian Polity and Governance, must also know the UPSC IAS exam pattern 2026 for prelims and mains exams. The IAS prelims exam has two papers—GS papers 1 and 2. While the IAS mains exam has nine papers in total. The prelims exam is objective type and the mains is descriptive in nature. There is a deduction of marks for wrong answers in the UPSC IAS 2026 prelims exam. Check the UPSC IAS exam pattern 2026 in the tables below.

UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

Particulars	IAS Prelims Paper Pattern Details
Number of papers	Two papers General studies - Paper I General studies - Paper II
Language of paper	English and Hindi
Duration of exam	2 hours for each paper
Number of questions	General studies paper I - 100 General studies paper II - 80
Type of questions	Objective type
Maximum marks	Each paper is of 200 marks
Qualifying papers	GS paper II is qualifying in nature with 33% marks

Quick Links: UPSC IAS Political Science Syllabus 2026

UPSC IAS 2026 Prelims Marking Scheme

Particulars	Total Marks	GS paper I	GS paper II
Marks awarded for correct answer	200	+2	+2.5
Marks deducted for incorrect answer	200	-0.66	-0.83
Marks for unanswered questions	-	-	-

UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern 2026

Particulars	UPSC IAS Mains Paper Pattern
Number of papers	9
Language of paper	English
	Hindi
	Descriptive paper: Candidates can appear for language paper in 22 languages mentioned in schedule 8 of the Indian constitution
Duration of exam	3 hours each
Subjects	Compulsory Indian language English Essay General Studies I General Studies II General Studies III General Studies IV Optional I Optional II
Number of questions	Language paper Part A and B: 300 each General studies, essay and optional paper: 250 each
Maximum marks	1750

Quick Links: UPSC IAS Answer Key 2026

IAS Syllabus 2026 – Indian Polity and Governance

The UPSC IAS exam has two stages. As mentioned above, questions from Indian Polity and Governance are asked in both stages of the exam. Questions on topics like the Constitution of India, parliamentary form of government, union budget, finance commission, election commission, etc. To know more about the IAS syllabus 2026 for Indian Polity and Governance Check the table below:

IAS Syllabus 2026 – Indian Polity and Governance

Sections	Topics
Important Indian Polity and Governance topics asked in the IAS exam	Constitution of India The preamble of the Constitution Parliamentary Form of Government Parliamentary Committees Union Budget Federal Structure of India Judicial System in India State government in India Administration of Union Territories NITI Aayog Finance Commission Election Commission Central Information Commission of India Lokpal and Lokayukta National Disaster Management Authority National Green Tribunal Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Central Administrative Tribunal Panchayati Raj Institutions in the Indian States Union, State and Concurrent list of subjects Rules related to the Languages Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules 1961, etc.
Important Acts passed by the parliament	Citizenship Act and its amendments Farmers Acts Consumer Protection Act, 2019 Important Draft of the Acts floated by Government of India, etc.
Topics asked from the Indian Constitution	Fundamental Rights and Duties Fundamental duties Union Executive Union Legislature State Executive State legislature Emergency Provisions Union and States relations Governor Role in State Government Details about the Supreme Court, High Court and lower judiciary, etc.