BharatNotes
Static GK
Presidents of India
All 15 Presidents (1950–present) — exact tenures, party backing, acting presidents, constitutional provisions, and key UPSC exam traps.
⚖️ Constitutional Framework — Key Articles
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| 52 | There shall be a President of India |
| 53 | Executive power of the Union vested in the President |
| 54 | Election by an Electoral College |
| 55 | Proportional representation by Single Transferable Vote, secret ballot |
| 56 | Term: 5 years from date of assuming office |
| 57 | Eligible for re-election — no bar on number of terms |
| 58 | Qualifications: Indian citizen; age 35+; qualified to be LS member; no office of profit |
| 60 | Oath administered by Chief Justice of India (or senior-most SC judge) |
| 61 | Impeachment procedure — 2/3rd of total membership at both stages |
| 62 | Vacancy must be filled within 6 months |
| 65 | VP discharges presidential functions during vacancy; if VP unavailable, CJI acts |
| 71 | Disputes about presidential election decided by the Supreme Court |
| 72 | Pardoning powers: Pardon, Commutation, Remission, Respite, Reprieve |
Electoral College (Article 54): Elected MPs (LS + RS) + Elected MLAs of States + Elected MLAs of Delhi & Puducherry. NOT included: Nominated MPs, nominated MLAs, members of State Legislative Councils.
✋ Presidential Veto Powers (Article 111)
| Veto Type | What President Does | Effect | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Veto | Withholds assent permanently | Bill does not become law | Rajendra Prasad — PEPSU Appropriation Bill (1954); R. Venkataraman — MPs' Salaries Bill (1991) |
| Suspensive Veto | Returns bill to Parliament for reconsideration with a message | If Parliament passes again (with or without amendment), President must assent — cannot veto again | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — Office of Profit Bill (2006); K.R. Narayanan — Bihar dissolution twice |
| Pocket Veto | Neither assents nor returns the Bill — keeps it pending indefinitely | Bill lapses by inaction (Indian Constitution has no time limit for presidential action — unlike US 10-day limit) | Giani Zail Singh — Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill (1986) — only known use |
Money Bills (Article 110): President cannot return a Money Bill — can only assent or withhold assent (absolute veto). No suspensive veto on Money Bills.
Constitutional Amendment Bills (Article 368): President cannot veto — the 24th Constitutional Amendment (1971) made presidential assent obligatory.
Constitutional Amendment Bills (Article 368): President cannot veto — the 24th Constitutional Amendment (1971) made presidential assent obligatory.
🇮🇳 All 15 Presidents of India (1950–Present)
| # | Name | Tenure | Party/Backing | State/Background | Key Exam Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | 26 Jan 1950 – 13 May 1962 | INC | Bihar (Siwan) | First President; only President to serve two full terms; also President of Constituent Assembly; lawyer, freedom fighter |
| 2 | Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 13 May 1962 – 13 May 1967 | INC-backed | Tamil Nadu | Philosopher; former VP; his birthday 5 September = Teachers' Day |
| 3 | Dr. Zakir Husain | 13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969 | INC-backed | UP (Hyderabad) | First Muslim President; first President to die in office (3 May 1969, cardiac arrest) |
| — | V.V. Giri (Acting) | 3 May 1969 – 20 Jul 1969 | — | — | Acting as VP after Zakir Husain's death; resigned to contest presidential election |
| — | Mohammad Hidayatullah (Acting) | 20 Jul 1969 – 24 Aug 1969 | — | — | Only CJI to serve as Acting President; later also served as VP (1979–84) |
| 4 | V.V. Giri | 24 Aug 1969 – 24 Aug 1974 | INC (Independent) | Andhra Pradesh | Only person to serve as both Acting President and President; first election to go to second-preference counting |
| 5 | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | 24 Aug 1974 – 11 Feb 1977 | INC | Assam | Second Muslim President; second President to die in office (11 Feb 1977); signed Emergency Proclamation (1975) |
| — | B.D. Jatti (Acting) | 11 Feb 1977 – 25 Jul 1977 | — | Karnataka | Acting VP after Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed's death |
| 6 | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | 25 Jul 1977 – 25 Jul 1982 | Janata Party | Andhra Pradesh (Illuru) | Only President elected unopposed (all other nominations rejected); only Speaker of Lok Sabha to later become President |
| 7 | Giani Zail Singh | 25 Jul 1982 – 25 Jul 1987 | INC | Punjab (Faridkot) | First Sikh President; exercised Pocket Veto on Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill, 1986 |
| 8 | R. Venkataraman | 25 Jul 1987 – 25 Jul 1992 | INC | Tamil Nadu | Swore in 4 different Prime Ministers: Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar, P.V. Narasimha Rao |
| 9 | Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma | 25 Jul 1992 – 25 Jul 1997 | INC | Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal) | Former CM of MP; Bharat Ratna awardee |
| 10 | K.R. Narayanan | 25 Jul 1997 – 25 Jul 2002 | INC-backed | Kerala (Uzhavoor) | First Dalit (SC) President; former diplomat and VP; sent Bihar dismissal back for reconsideration (1998) |
| 11 | Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | 25 Jul 2002 – 25 Jul 2007 | NDA (BJP-led) | Tamil Nadu (Rameswaram) | "People's President"; nuclear scientist; "Missile Man of India"; Bharat Ratna (1997); only scientist President |
| 12 | Pratibha Patil | 25 Jul 2007 – 25 Jul 2012 | UPA (Congress-led) | Maharashtra (Jalgaon) | First woman President; former Governor of Rajasthan and CM of Maharashtra |
| 13 | Pranab Mukherjee | 25 Jul 2012 – 25 Jul 2017 | UPA (Congress) | West Bengal (Birbhum) | Former Finance Minister, External Affairs Minister, Defence Minister; Bharat Ratna (2019) |
| 14 | Ram Nath Kovind | 25 Jul 2017 – 21 Jul 2022 | NDA (BJP-led) | UP (Kanpur Dehat) | Second Dalit (SC) President; former Governor of Bihar |
| 15 | Droupadi Murmu | 25 Jul 2022 – present | NDA (BJP-led) | Odisha (Mayurbhanj) | First Scheduled Tribe (ST) President; first President born in independent India; youngest at inauguration (age 64); former Governor of Jharkhand |
🏆 Key Firsts — Quick Reference
| Category | President |
|---|---|
| First President | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| Only President to serve two full terms | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| First Muslim President | Dr. Zakir Husain |
| Second Muslim President | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed |
| First Sikh President | Giani Zail Singh |
| First Dalit (SC) President | K.R. Narayanan |
| Second Dalit (SC) President | Ram Nath Kovind |
| First Woman President | Pratibha Patil |
| First Tribal (ST) President | Droupadi Murmu |
| First President born in independent India | Droupadi Murmu |
| Youngest President at inauguration | Droupadi Murmu (age 64) |
| Only scientist President | Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam |
| Only President elected unopposed | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| Only person to serve as both Acting President and President | V.V. Giri |
| Only CJI to serve as Acting President | Mohammad Hidayatullah |
| Only Lok Sabha Speaker to later become President | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| First President to die in office | Dr. Zakir Husain (3 May 1969) |
| Second President to die in office | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (11 Feb 1977) |
| Pocket Veto exercised by | Giani Zail Singh (Indian Post Office Amendment Bill, 1986) |
| Swore in most different Prime Ministers (4) | R. Venkataraman (Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar, Narasimha Rao) |
| Only person to lose AND win a presidential election | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy — lost to V.V. Giri in 1969; won unopposed in 1977 |
| First sitting President to vote in general elections | K.R. Narayanan — voted on 16 February 1998 at Rashtrapati Bhavan polling station |
| Only person to hold all three: CJI + VP + Acting President | Mohammad Hidayatullah — 13th CJI; 6th VP; Acting President twice (1969 and 1982) |
| Presidents who were VP before becoming President | 6 of 15 — Radhakrishnan, Zakir Husain, V.V. Giri, R. Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma, K.R. Narayanan |
| President who signed Emergency Proclamation (1975) | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed — signed under Article 352 on PM Indira Gandhi's advice, 25 June 1975 |
| First President to receive Bharat Ratna while in office | Rajendra Prasad (1962); also Zakir Husain (1963) |
⚠️ Exam Traps & High-Yield Points
| # | Wrong belief | Correct fact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "MLCs (Legislative Council members) are in the Electoral College" | No — only elected MLAs (Vidhan Sabha). Vidhan Parishad members are excluded. |
| 2 | "Nominated MPs can vote in presidential elections" | No — only elected MPs (LS + RS); nominated members of Parliament are excluded |
| 3 | "Impeachment requires 2/3 of members present and voting" | Impeachment requires 2/3 of total membership — stricter than present-and-voting majority |
| 4 | "A President has been impeached" | No President of India has ever been impeached |
| 5 | "President's term is fixed at exactly 5 years from election" | 5 years from date of assuming office, not from election date; also "holds office until successor enters upon office" (Art. 56) |
| 6 | "There is no bar on re-election of President" | Correct — Article 57 allows unlimited re-elections. Only Dr. Rajendra Prasad used this, serving twice. |
| 7 | "The CJI administers oath to the President-elect" | CJI administers the oath — or "the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court available" if CJI unavailable |
| 8 | "Pocket Veto = President refuses to sign and sends back" | Pocket Veto = President neither signs nor returns the bill — keeps it pending indefinitely. Used by Giani Zail Singh in 1986. |
| 9 | "Droupadi Murmu is the first woman President" | Pratibha Patil (2007–2012) was the first woman President. Murmu is the first tribal (ST) President. |
| 10 | "Vacancy in President's office must be filled in 3 months" | Vacancy must be filled within 6 months (Article 62) |
| 11 | "KR Narayanan was the first Dalit President" | Correct — K.R. Narayanan (1997–2002) was first; Ram Nath Kovind (2017–2022) was second Dalit President |
| 12 | "The Governor has the same pardoning powers as the President" | No — Governor (Art. 161) cannot pardon death sentences and cannot pardon in Court Martial cases. President (Art. 72) can do both. |