• The Election Commission announced that the Presidential election would be held on July 18 and counting of votes, if required, would be held on July 21, ahead of the end of President Ram Nath Kovind’s term on July 24.
• The Indian President is the head of the state and he is also called the first citizen of India.
• He is a part of Union Executive.
• The Indian President is elected through an electoral college system, wherein the votes are cast by national and State-level lawmakers.
• The elections are conducted and overseen by the Election Commission (EC) of India.

The electoral college is made up of:

• All the elected members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs)
• The elected Members of the Legislative Assemblies of States and Union Territories (MLAs).

Related Constitutional Provisions:

• Article 54: Election of President
• Article 55: Manner of election of President.
• Article 56 :Term of office of President
• Article 57: Eligibility for re-election.
• Article 58: Qualifications for election as President
• Once President is elected, he holds office for five years.
• He sits in the office even after the completion of five years given no new election has taken place or no new President has been elected till then.
• He can also be re-elected and there is no cap on his re-election.
• The only condition for the initiation of impeachment of the Indian president is the ‘violation of the constitution.’

Model Question :

With reference to the Presidential election in India, consider the following statements :

1. He/she must be an Indian citizen with a minimum age of 35 years.
2. Once elected as Indian President, he/she is not eligible for re-election.
3. All the elected members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament are part of electoral college of President.

Which of the statements given above is /are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. 1 and 3 only

Answer : D

Qualifications to be elected as the president

1. He should be an Indian Citizen
2. His age should be a minimum of 35 years
3. He should qualify the conditions to be elected as a member of the Lok Sabha
4. He should not hold any office of profit under the central government, state government, or any public authority
5. Hence 1^st statement is correct.
6. According to Article 57 of the Constitution, a President is eligible for re-election to that office. Hence 2^nd statement is wrong.

The electoral college is made up of:

1. All the elected members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs). Hence 3^rd statement is correct.
2. The elected Members of the Legislative Assemblies of States and Union Territories (MLAs)

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