The President is considered the first citizen of India, and he is the emblem of solidarity, unity, and integrity of the country. The first head of the state is the president. He is acknowledged as the first citizen of India and is considered a symbol of the country’s solidarity, unity, and integrity. He also belongs to the component of the Union Executive along with the Vice-President, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers, and Attorney-General of India. The President of India is considered the head of the state of India and the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was chosen as the first constitutional leader of the state, the President of India.

President Election in India

According to Article 54 of the Indian Constitution, an election needs to be conducted for the President of India, however the President of India is not chosen through a direct form of election.

Nomination for the Post of the President 

To be eligible for election to the post of president, a candidate’s candidacy must be supported by at least 50 electors who act as proposers and another 50 electors who act as seconders. Each applicant is required to submit a security deposit of Rs. 15,000 with the Reserve Bank of India before being considered. The candidate will lose any money held as a security deposit if the candidate does not get one-sixth of the total votes cast.

The President of India is elected indirectly via the single transferable vote method. The President is elected by an electoral college composed of elected government officials who constitute the government after being elected to their positions in the state legislature or parliament and the national election. Members of the House of Representatives and state legislatures nominated are not allowed to vote in the presidential election. As a consequence, the members of the electoral college for the presidential election are as follows:

  • Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha
  • Delhi and Puducherry (Union Territories of india)  legislative Assemblies
  • Legislative Assemblies of the states (Legislative Councils have no role)

The procedure for electing the President of India is outlined in Article 55 of the Indian constitution.

  1. It specifies that the President is chosen indirectly by the members of an electoral college. 
  2. The election will be conducted using a secret ballot. 
  3. The election must follow the proportional representation system, using a single transferable vote.

Qualifications for becoming the President of India

There are a few criteria or requirements for becoming the Indian President. The following are the requirements for becoming an Indian President:

  1. He must be an Indian citizen.
  2. The minimum age requirement is 35 years old.
  3. He must fulfil all the requirements to be elected as a member of the Lok Sabha.
  4. He should not have any profit-making post in the federal, central, state, or municipal governments, or with any government agency.

After the president’s election, the official period of the president is for a period of 5 years. The Indian parliament may impeach the president for violating the country’s constitution before the end of his term. The president is obliged to take and sign an oath or affirmation to protect, preserve, and defend the constitution in the presence of the Chief Justice of India or, in his absence, the senior-most judge of the supreme court.

The President of India’s Impeachment Process

Article 61 of the Indian Constitution explains the procedure for impeaching the President of India:

  • The Indian Parliament has the power to remove the president from office before the end of their term if they violate the Indian Constitution. The process might commence in any of the two houses of Parliament. The president is indicted by the House of Representatives to begin the process. The accusations must be submitted in a notice signed by at least one-quarter of the entire members of that house. The notification is submitted to the president and brought up for consideration 14 days later. A significant majority (two-thirds) of the members of the House of Representatives must vote in favour of impeaching the President.

After that, the resolution is forwarded to the other house. The other house investigates the charges levelled. The president has the right to defend himself throughout this procedure via an authorised attorney. If the second house likewise adopts the special majority’s allegations, the president is impeached and presumed to have resigned from office as of the day the resolution is issued. Because no president has faced impeachment, the laws mentioned above have never been used.

The President’s Office may be vacant in the following circumstances:

  • As a result of death
  • As a result of his resignation.
  • The Supreme Court has ordered his removal.
  • By the process of the impeachment. 

Under Article 65 of the Indian Constitution, if the President of India’s office becomes empty for any cause other than the expiration of the term, the Vice-President of India is required to fill the vacancy. When a new president is elected and takes office, the vice president returns to their previous position. When the president cannot act due to absence, sickness, or any other reason, the vice president assumes the president’s responsibilities until they can resume their responsibilities.

Conclusion 

In India, there is not a direct election for the selection of the president, So the members of an electoral college, consisting of the elected members of both houses of parliament (M.P.s), the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies (Vidhan Sabha) of all States, and the elected members of legislative assemblies (MLAs) of union territories with legislatures, namely the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Jammu, and Kashmir, and Puducherry, select the new president. A detailed explanation of the election of the president of India is given in this article.