The government and administration in Punjab are organized on the same lines as in other states of India. The legislative wing of the State is the House of People or the Vidhan Sabha. Punjab has an unicameral legislature, having abolished the upper house, the Vidhan Parishad in the ‘60s. The chief minister and members of his cabinet are members of the legislature and they are at the top of the executive wing of the government and are accountable to the legislature. As elsewhere, the MLAs, or Members of the Legislative Assembly, wield considerable influence over policy-making and implementation, more so because they are members of District level Planning and Grievance Committees set up by the government in each district.

Local government
The system of local government consists of Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Notified Area Committees in urban areas. Their main source of revenue is octroi and their main administrative functions are conservancy, local health laws, and approving building plans in their local jurisdiction, In rural areas, there is the usual set up of village panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads though, in practice, they do not wield administrative or legal powers of any consequence. Unlike in states such as Karnataka or Maharashtra, local government cannot be said to be highly developed in Punjab.

The judiciary
The judiciary and the executive are separated in Punjab as in other states in the country. However, the state shares a common High Court with the state of Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.