PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Copyright infringement not intended

Context - The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for Presidential Elections 2022.

Details

The Election Commission of India has announced 18th July as the date for electing the next President of India.
The notification for the election will be issued on 15th June, the last date for nomination will be 29th June, and the polls to be held on 18th July.
The tenure of the 15th President of India ‘Ram Nath Kovind’ will come to an end on 24th July 2022.
According to Article 62 of the Indian Constitution, an election to the President post due to the expiration of the office term shall be completed before the term ends

President of India

Part V of the Indian Constitution precisely deals with the Union executive from Articles 52 to 78.
- The President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers, and Attorney General of India constitute the Union executive.
He is India's first citizen and serves as a symbol of the country's unity, integrity, and solidarity.

Eligibility

The candidate should be an Indian citizen.
Should have completed the age of 35 years.
Should be qualified for election as a member of the Lok Sabha.
Should not hold any office of profit under the Union Government or any state government or any local or other authority.
The President should not be a member of any house of Union or State legislature.

Election of the President

The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of:
- Elected members of the two Houses of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of the States.
- It includes the national capital territory of Delhi and the Union territory of Pondicherry.
The President‘s election is held under a system of proportional representation through a single transferable vote.

Presidents’ Term of Office

The oath of office to the President is administered by the Chief Justice of India and in his absence, by the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court available.
According to Article 62 (1), An election should be held to fill the vacancy of the Presidential post before the expiration of the President‘s term.
The President holds office for a five-year term from the date on which he enters the office.
The President can resign at any time by addressing the resignation letter to the Vice-President of India.
When a vacancy occurs in the President‘s office due to his death, resignation or removal or otherwise, the Vice- president acts as the President until a new President is elected.
An election to fill such a vacancy should be held within 6 months from the date of occurrence of such vacancy.
A person is eligible for re-election to the Presidential office.

Impeachment of President

According to Article 61, the President may be impeached from his office for violation of the constitution.
The impeachment charges may be initiated by either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha and they should be signed by at least 1/^4th members.
Regarding the charges, a 14 days notice should be given.
The resolution of the charges for the impeachment of the President should be passed by at least 2/3rd majority.
Afterwards, the charges are investigated in the other House of the Parliament.
If the resolution is passed in this House also with a 2/3^rd majority, then the President stands removed from his office from the date on which the bill is passed.

PRESIDENTS OF INDIA

Name	Tenure
1. Dr Rajendra Prasad	1950 - 1962
2. Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	1962 - 1967
3. Dr Zakir Husain	1967 - 1969 (Died)
4. Varahagiri Venkatagiri	1969 - 1969 (Acting)
5. Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah	1969 - 1969 (Acting)
6. Varahagiri Venkatagiri	1969 - 1974
7. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed	1974 - 1977 (Died)
8. B.D. Jatti	1977 - 1977 (Acting)
9. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy	1977 - 1982
10. Giani Zail Singh	1982 - 1987
11. R. Venkataraman	1987 - 1992
12. Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma	1992 - 1997
13. K.R. Narayanan	1997 – 2002
14. Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam	2002 – 2007
15. Smt. Pratibha Patil	2007 – 2012
16. Pranab Mukherjee	2012 – 2017
17. Ram Nath Kovind	2017 - till date