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President and Prime Minister

Know about the difference between the President and Prime Minister. The members of both the Houses of the parliament and State Legislative Assemblies participate in the presidential elections.

President

The President is also called Rashtrapati. He is also known as the Indian State head and also is Head of The Union Executive. The Union Executive contains the president, Prime minister, Vice president, Attorney General, and council of  Ministers. He acts as the Commander and Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, which also acts as the nation’s integrity, solidarity, and unity.

Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is also called Pradhan Mantri. He is the head of the nation’s government and leader of the Cabinet and Council Of Ministers. In India, the Prime Minister is the leader and Head of the Government of India.

Difference between the President and the Prime Minister

Below are some points and differences that are mentioned between the president and prime minister. 

Appointment of the President and the Prime Minister

The Electoral college members appoint the President. This involves the members elected in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha as well, and the State legislative assemblies elected members and that of Puducherry and Delhi union territory as well. 

Generally, our Indian constitution is comprehensive and does not possess any exhaustive technique for the preference and designation, especially for the Prime Minister. The President is complementary to the post of Prime Minister to any person.

Oath, Qualifications and Salary of the President and the Prime Minister

The major Qualifications for the person to be eligible for election as President should be a Citizen of India and needs to be above 35 years. He/she should also be qualified for election in Lok Sabha and other houses of parliament and should not have ongoing legal cases well. 

The Chief Justice of India administers the President’s oath. In case of absence, any supreme court judge who is senior can administer the same. 

The Parliament increased the salary of the President from ₹1.50 lacs to ₹5 lacs per month.

The major qualifications for a person to be Prime Minister of India should be – Resident of India, Member of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, and Above 25 years of age. He should not hold any office of profit under the Union Government or any State Government. Prior to the Prime Minister taking his seat. At this time, the President distributes to him the assurances of the post with the oath. The allowance and salary of the prime minister are periodically set by the parliament.

Powers and Procedures of the President & the Prime minister

The powers enjoyed and the functions performed by the President are Executive Powers.

Legislative powers are applied when a bill is sent to the President after it has been passed by the Parliament. He can give assent or withhold it or return back the bill. While the Prime Minister has several powers, such as recommending somebody to any office through the President. Also, modify multifarious portfolios towards other appointed ministers. It might be requested by a minister to relinquish it.

Conclusion

The Prime Minister is more powerful than the President because the PM is elected by the people, and the President is elected indirectly. The prime minister has these powers, such as presiding over the meeting of the Council of Ministers, and it can bring about the collapse of the council of Ministers by resigning from office. In accordance with the conventions of the Parliamentary system of Government, the President has to appoint the Prime Minister as leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha.

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Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

What is the term of the Office of the President?

Answer: The term of the office of the president is 5 years fr...Read full

Who conducts the election of the President?

Answer: Under Article 324 of the Constitution of India, the a...Read full

Can the election result of the President be challenged?

Answer: Yes, the result of the election of President can be c...Read full

Which articles are related to the Prime Minister?

Answer: Article 74- Essentially is related to the Prime Minis...Read full