President of India

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Flag of the President of India (1950–1971)

President of India is the head of state of the Republic of India and the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. The President is indirectly elected by an electoral college comprising both the Parliament of India and the legislative assemblies of each of India's states and territories, who themselves are all directly elected.

Role and Powers

The President of India has a variety of roles and powers as outlined in the Constitution of India. These include ceremonial roles such as presiding over the Republic Day parade, and substantial powers such as the appointment of the Prime Minister of India, other ministers, and judges of the Supreme Court of India and High Courts. The President also has the power to declare war and peace, and to dissolve the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Parliament of India).

Despite these powers, the role of the President is largely ceremonial, with real political power residing in the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. The President operates under the advice of the Council of Ministers, except in a few instances as provided by the Constitution.

Election

The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of Parliament, the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States, and the elected members of the legislative assemblies of the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The election process is indirect; citizens do not directly elect the President.

History

The office of the President of India was established on January 26, 1950, when the Constitution of India came into effect. The first President of India was Rajendra Prasad, who served from 1950 to 1962. Since then, India has had several Presidents, each playing a role in the nation's development and governance.

Residence

The official residence of the President of India is the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. This palatial building was completed in 1929 and was originally the residence of the British Viceroy of India before independence.

List of Presidents

Some notable Presidents of India include:

• Rajendra Prasad (1950-1962) - The first President of India and the only person to have held office for two terms.
• A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2002-2007) - Known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology.
• Pratibha Patil (2007-2012) - The first woman to serve as President of India.
• Ram Nath Kovind (2017-2022) - Prior to his presidency, he served as Governor of Bihar.

See Also

• Vice President of India
• Prime Minister of India
• Government of India
• Constitution of India