List of Presidents of India and Their Terms

The President of India is the head of the national executive, the legislature and the judiciary. Article 52 of the Constitution of India states that there must be a President of India. Article 53 states that he shall exercise all the powers of the Union, directly or indirectly. We will learn about the president of India and their terms.

Current President Of India

The name of the president of India currently holding office is Ram Nath Kovind. A professional lawyer, Kovind worked in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India till 1993. In 1994, he became a Rajya Sabha member. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2006. He was also governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017.  

Kovind was born on 1 October 1945 in a Dalit family in the Paraukh district of Kanpur Dehat, UP region. Kovind holds a Bachelor of Business degree and an LLB degree from DAV College. After completing his studies, Kovind took the community service exam and passed the third attempt. However, he did not join as he had access to the Integrated Service, not the IAS. Kovind then started making laws; He held key positions in the Delhi High Court as a Central Government Advocate, Personal Assistant to Prime Minister Morji Desai etc. In 1991, he joined the BJP and, in 1994, became the Member of Parliament for the Rajya Sabha.

Ram Nath Kovind, nominated as the President of India by NDA, defeated Meira Kumar by 65.65 per cent of the eligible voters.

Election Of The President

The election of the Presidents of India is a process by the Election Commission of India. The members of the electoral college elect the President. The electoral college system has all the members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha (MPs) and members of legislative assemblies (MLAs).  The election is looked after by the Election Commission of India (EC).

The process begins with filing nominations by political parties or by individuals. Then, the Returning Officer scrutinises the nomination papers to check whether they are valid. The candidates can withdraw their nominations before the scrutiny. If more than one candidate remains after withdrawal, a poll is held.

Eligibility

Article 58 of the Indian Constitution states that a candidate for the office of President must:

•  A citizen of India.

• Has completed thirty-five years of age.

• Be eligible for election as a member of the Lok Sabha.

• Do not hold any office of profit under the Union or any State Government or any local or other authority.

Term

Article 56 of the Indian Constitution states that the President shall hold office for five years from when he enters his office. After that, he can resign from his post by writing his resignation to the Vice President of India. But, until his successor assumes office, he will continue to hold office even if he has tendered his resignation. And, before his office becomes vacant, there must be an election for the same.

Article 61 provides for impeachment for violation of the constitution. The Vice-President acts as his replacement if his office becomes vacant on the ground of his death, resignation or impeachment or otherwise. Such vacancy should be filled by election compulsorily held within six months of the occurrence of his office.

Impeachment Of The President

Impeachment is removing the President of India from his office before the end of his term. Impeachment can be done if the President and proceedings violate the Constitution of India can be initiated in either of the two Houses of Parliament. A two-thirds majority is required for a resolution to be passed in the House. 

After that, a notice signed by one-fourth of the members of the House and containing the charges is sent to the President. After 14 days, the second House considers the charges, and in the meantime, the President can defend himself. If the other House also approves the charges, the President is said to be impeached. He has to leave his office.

List Of The President

The people indirectly elect the President through their elected representatives. The President is a ceremonial head of state who does not wield executive power. Here is the list of the president.

1. Rajendra Prasad – 1950 to 1962

2. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan- 1962 to 1967

3. Zakir Hussain – 1967 to 1969

4. V.V. Giri – 1969 to 1974

5. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed 1974 to 1977

6. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy – 1977 to 1982

7. Giani Zail Singh – 1982 to 1987

8. R Venkataraman – 1987 to 1992

9. Shankar Dayal Sharma – 1992 to 1997

10. K R Narayanan – 1997 to 2002

11. APJ Abdul Kalam – 2002 to 2007

12. Pratibha Patil – 2007 to 2012

13. Pranab Mukherjee – 2012 to 2017

14. Ram Nath Kovind – 2017 to Present

Conclusion

The President of India is the head of the state of India and the commander in chief of the Indian Armed Forces. The President is elected by an elected college consisting of elected members of both the Houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States. 

The President is responsible for appointing the Prime Minister and other ministers and for appointing the governors of the states.