president of India, the head of state of the Republic of India. The president, or rashtrapati, is indirectly elected every five years by an electoral college comprising the elected members of both houses of India’s parliament—the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha—as well as the elected representatives of all legislative assemblies of the states of India and the union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The president is called the first citizen of India and serves as the de facto commander in chief of the Indian Armed Forces. The president serves a five-year term, and there is no limit on the number of times the president can be reelected to office.

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The selection process for the president of India, the qualifications required, and the procedure for impeachment are detailed in Articles 52–62 of the Constitution of India. The vice president serves as the deputy to the president and is elected by only the elected and nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; the state legislative assemblies play no part in the vice presidential election. The first president of India was Rajendra Prasad, who was elected to the role the day India became a republic, on January 26, 1950. The official residence of the president is Rashtrapati Bhavan, the former residence of the British viceroys to India.

Powers and duties of office

The executive powers of the union of India are vested in the president, who exercises his functions with the advice of the prime minister and the Council of Ministers. The vice president of India is the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha and discharges the duties of the president when the president is absent.

Some of the president’s powers and duties are listed here. All executive actions by the Indian government are taken in the president’s name.

• • appoint the prime minister and, on the advice of the prime minister, the Council of Ministers
  • appoint the attorney general, the comptroller and auditor-general, election commissioners (including the chief election commissioner), the chair and members of the Union Public Service Commission, state governors, and administrators of union territories

• • summon and prorogue sessions of parliament, and address parliament during the first session after every Lok Sabha election
  • call for a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha and dissolve the same in the event of the prime minister’s inability to prove a majority
  • has the right to be informed about all affairs of parliament
  • summon joint sessions of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in case of legislative deadlocks
  • appoint the speaker and deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha, as well as the chair and deputy chair of the Rajya Sabha
  • nominate 12 members to the Rajya Sabha; and, until 2020, nominated two members from the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha
  • veto or return bills passed by both houses of parliament (Similarly, state governors can send bills passed by legislatures in their states to the president for consideration, and the president has a veto power in this case as well.)
  • pass ordinances, which carry the same power as acts of parliament, if the houses of parliament are not in session (When parliament convenes again, such ordinances can be passed by both houses to make them law.)

• • appoint the chair and members of the Finance Commission of India
  • control the Contingency Fund of India (a fund set aside for dealing with national emergencies)
  • need to give prior recommendation for financial bills to be introduced in Parliament

• • appoint all judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court
  • grant pardons, reprieves, respites, suspensions, remissions, or commutations of death sentences; sentences by court-martial; and sentences given for offenses against laws made on subjects which fall under the purview of the executive power of the union

• • sign international treaties and agreements, which are negotiated in the name of the president
  • represent India in international forums

• • serve as the commander in chief of the Indian Armed Forces
  • appoint the chiefs of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy
  • can declare war or peace on the advice of parliament

• • In the event of internal or external aggression, the president can declare a national emergency on the advice of the prime minister and Council of Ministers. Such an emergency remains in force indefinitely as long as it is ratified by both houses of parliament through a two-thirds majority. The president can also suspend fundamental rights (basic rights that are granted to all citizens of India) during this period. A national emergency was declared by Pres. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed in June 1975 on the advice of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and continued until March 1977.
  • The president can declare a state emergency in any Indian state in the event of the failure of constitutional machinery in the state. This needs to be ratified by parliament within two months and can be in place for up to three years. Several instances of state emergency have been seen over the years, the first instance being in the state of Punjab in 1951.
  • The president can proclaim a financial emergency in the event of a threat to the country’s financial stability. This lasts for two months but can continue indefinitely with the approval of parliament. In this scenario, all financial bills passed by the federal as well as state governments require presidential approval. The president can also order a reduction in salary and allowance for all people working for federal or state governments.

The president is given immunity from any criminal proceedings but can be impeached by parliament for offenses violating the Indian constitution. Impeachment proceedings can be initiated by either house of parliament and are then investigated by the other house. The motion must then be passed with a two-thirds majority in the house that initiated the impeachment to remove the president from office.

Selection process

A candidate for president must be an Indian citizen at least 35 years of age and should conform to all conditions necessary to be a member of the Lok Sabha. The president may not hold any position that may bring him or her financial gain under the central government, state governments, or any public authority or any other office of profit. A president who is a member of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha at the time of election must vacate that post before taking the oath as president.

The president is elected through an electoral college, which includes elected members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha as well as members of the legislative assemblies of all states of India and the union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. Members of the Legislative Councils of the states, nominated members in legislative assemblies, and nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are not allowed to vote in the presidential election.

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List of presidents of India

The table provides a list of all the presidents of India.