Like other Indian states, the constitutional head of state is the Governor, who is appointed by the President of India. Like most other states, Kerala has a unicameral legislature consisting of directly elected members. The Chief Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. The governor appoints a council of ministers at the advice of the Chief Minister. Kerala has 140 Assembly constituencies and sends 20 members to the Lok Sabha. Auxiliary authorities known as panchayats govern local affairs at micro level.
Currently, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is the ruling coalition in government and V.S. Achuthanandan of the CPI(M) is the Chief Minister.
The judiciary comprises the Kerala High Court and a system of lower courts. The High Court of Kerala is the highest court for the state, and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.
The state's 2005–2006 budget was 219 billion INR. Its 2005 tax revenues (excluding income from the Union tax pool) amounted to 111,248 million INR, while non-tax revenues totalled 10,809 million INR. Kerala's high ratio of taxation to gross state domestic product (GSDP) has not alleviated chronic budget deficits and unsustainable levels of government debt, impacting social services.
