Presidents of India: Indian president is the ceremonial head of state of India and the commander in chief of the Indian Armed Forces. The Indian president is indirectly elected by an electoral college comprising the Parliament of India (Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha) and the legislative assemblies of each of India’s states and territories, who themselves are all directly elected. The President of India is tenure for five years from the date on which he enters upon his office. However, he can resign from his post at any time by addressing the resignation letter to Indian Vice-President.
Eligibility for Presidents of India
- Article 58 of the Indian Constitution says that the presidential candidate must:
- Be a citizen of India.
- Have completed the age of thirty-five years.
- Be qualified for elections as a member of the Lok Sabha.
- Not hold any office of profit under the Union or any State government, or any local or other authority.
The primary duty of the Indian president is to preserve, protect and defend the constitution and the law of India as made part of his oath.
The salary and allowances of the President are fixed by the Parliament of India. The current salary of the President is Rs 150000 per month. His official residence is Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
List of all Presidents of India from 1947 to 2019
| Name | Tenure |
| Dr Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963) | January 26, 1950 – May 13, 1962 |
| Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) | May 13, 1962 – May 13, 1967 |
| Dr Zakir Hussain (1897-1969) | May 13, 1967 – May 03, 1969 |
| Varahagiri Venkatagiri (1884-1980) (Acting) | May 03, 1969 – July 20, 1969 |
| Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah (1905-1992) (Acting) | July 20, 1969 – August 24, 1969 |
| Varahagiri Venkatagiri (1884-1980) | August 24, 1969 – August 24, 1974 |
| Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1905-1977) | August 24, 1974 – February 11, 1977 |
| B.D. Jatti (1913-2002) (Acting) | February 11, 1977 – July 25, 1977 |
| Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (1913-1996) | July 25, 1977 – July 25, 1982 |
| Giani Zail Singh (1916-1994) | July 25, 1982 – July 25, 1987 |
| R. Venkataraman (1910-2009) | July 25, 1987 – July 25, 1992 |
| Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918-1999) | July 25, 1992 – July 25, 1997 |
| K.R. Narayanan (1920-2005) | July 25, 1997 – July 25, 2002 |
| Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) | July 25, 2002 – July 25, 2007 |
| Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil (Birth-1934) | July 25, 2007 – July 25, 2012 |
| Shri Pranab Mukherjee (Birth-1935) | July 25, 2012 – July 25, 2017 |
| Shri Ram Nath Kovind (Birth-1945) | July 25, 2017 – Incumbent |
The President serves for a tenure of five years and he can be re-elected anytime.