The chapter analyses the nature, evolution, composition and effectiveness of political opposition in India, starting with its origin under British colonial rule. The defeat of Indian rebels who fought against the East India Company in the Sepoy uprising of 1857, and the violent repression that followed, remained etched in the collective memory of those opposed to colonial rule. They understood that violent opposition to British rule was futile. Instead, the Freedom Movement, under the overall leadership of the Indian National Congress, followed the parliamentary path. Thanks to the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, opposition to British rule acquired a quintessentially Indian character, combining a mixed strategy of resistance and cooperation, within the overall framework of satyagraha, conceived by Gandhi as a form of non-violent non-cooperation. This colonial origin of opposition deeply influenced the nature of opposition in post-independence India. The chapter focuses on some of the key determinants that account for the nature of Indian opposition, including the liberal democratic constitution which guarantees fundamental rights, essential to the effectiveness of the opposition; the multi-caste and multi-ethnic character of Indian electorate and the first past the post electoral law and single member legislative constituencies where success is contingent on building short-term coalitions. These affect the nature and character of both the ruling party/coalition and forces opposed to it. The federal system introduces its own constraint on political parties, both at the Union government and in federal States when it comes to the formulation and implementation of public policy. Finally, the role of religion and the military which, in many post-colonial states have become the main instrument of opposition to elected governments helps explain the puzzle of how and why a democratic regime with a reasonably effective opposition have become the main markers of Indian democracy.