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India became a Republic on 26th January 1950. The Constituent Assembly adopted the supreme judicial framework referred to as the Constitution of India. The President of India is the supreme head of the Indian union and the Constitution. He leads the overall Federal, Judicial and Defence portfolios of India. The Constitution refers to him as the first Indian citizen. Electing an Indian president is through an Electoral College comprising elected members from the Parliament and State Legislature.
Eligibility criteria of President of India
The eligibility criteria of the President of India are primarily mentioned in article 58 of the Indian Constitution. A president must fulfil the below-listed criteria:
Indian citizen
They must be equal to or above 35 years of age.
Fulfil the requirement to be the Lok Sabha member
They must not hold any capacity in the central government’s office or the state government. The person shall also not be a part of any local authority under union or state governments while contesting elections.
However, there are a few exceptions to the above qualifications mentioned below:
The existing Vice-President of India.
Any existing state governor.
Any Union or State minister includes the Prime Minister and various Chief Ministers.
In such an event, the candidates must vacate their previous office when they start serving as the President of India.
List of Indian Presidents since Independence
The President of India list is numbered based on presidential elections after Independence. The official term of the President of India is five years and can be re-elected for any number of terms. Below is the list of Indian presidents since Independence.
Dr Rajendra Prasad is our first President of India and was elected only twice. He served in office from 13th May 1952 to 13th May 1962. He was elected as the President of the Constituent Assembly on 26th January 1950. In 1962, the government awarded him the Bharat Ratna.
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is our second Indian President who was a professor, writer and philosopher. In 1954, the government awarded him Bharat Ratna. He held the post from 13th May 1962 to 13th May 1967.
Dr Zakir Hussain is the first Indian Muslim president with the shortest tenure. He died on 3rd May 1969 while serving in office.
Mr V.V Giri – Varahgiri Venkata Giri was the fourth Indian President. He served in office from 24th August 1969 to 24th August 1974. The Indian government awarded him the Bharat Ratna in 1975.
Mr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was overall the fifth and second Indian President who died in office in 1977. His tenure lasted for two years and 171 days from 24th August 1974 to 11th February 1977.
Dr Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy was the youngest President elected unopposed in the Parliament. His tenure was from 25th July 1977 to 25th July 1982.
Mr Giani Zail Singh was the first Indian Sikh President from 25th July 1982 to 25th July 1987. His tenure saw numerous national incidents like the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Sikh riots in 1984 and Operation Blue Star.
Mr R. Venkataraman served in office from 25th July 1987 to 25th July 1992. He received the prestigious “Tamra Patra” for contributing to India’s Independence.
Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma served the post from 25th July 1992 to 25th July 1997. Before holding this post, he was the Communications Minister of India and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
Mr K R Narayanan served the official post from 25th July 1997 to 25th July 2002 as the first Dalit President of India.
Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam – He was the first scientist to become President of India on 25th July 2002 and served his tenure till 25th July 2007.
Sh. Pratibha Singh Patil – She was the first woman President of India, holding the post from 25th July 2007 to 25th July 2012. She flew one of India’s fastest fighter jets during her tenure, Sukhoi.
Dr Pranab Mukherjee served the post from 25th July 2012 to 25th July 2017. Before contesting elections, he served as the Finance Minister.
Mr Ram Nath Kovind – The current President took charge of the office on 25th July 2017. Before being President, he was the Governor of Bihar and worked in implementing solutions to curb corruption in educational institutes.
Conclusion
The President of India is the supreme head of the Indian Union and Chief Commander of the Defence forces. Since Independence, there have been 14 eminent personnel who held the post of President. Mr Ram Nath Kovind is the current Indian President who assumed office on 25th July 2017. He is considered as India’s first citizen. Students preparing for railway exams must know who the President of India is.
