List of Presidents of India

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The President of India is the head of state of India and the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. The President is referred to as the first citizen of India.[1][2] Although vested with these powers by the
Constitution of India, the position is largely a ceremonial one and executive powers are de facto exercised by the Prime Minister.[3]
The President is elected by the Electoral College composed of elected members of the parliament houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and also members of the Vidhan Sabha, the state legislative
assemblies.[2] Presidents may remain in office for a tenure of five years, as stated by article 56, part V, of the Constitution of India. In the case where a President's term of office is terminated early or during the
absence of the President, the Vice President assumes office. By article 70 of part V, the parliament may decide how to discharge the functions of the President where this is not possible, or in any other unexpected
contingency.[2]

Representation of Presidents by party of candidacy

Independent (29.6%)
Indian National Congress (41.2%)
Bharatiya Janata Party (5.8%)
Janata Party (5.8%)
Acting (17.6%)

There have been 14 Presidents of India since the post was established when India was declared as a republic with the adoption of the Indian constitution in 1950.[4] Apart from these fourteen,
three Acting Presidents have also been in office for short periods of time. Varahagiri Venkata Giri became the Acting President in 1969 after Zakir Husain, died in office. Giri was elected President a few months
later. He remains the only person to have held office both as a President and Acting President.[5] Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, is the only person to have held office for two terms.[6]
 Presidents by state of birth[7]

Seven Presidents have been members of a political party before being elected. Six of these were active party members of the Indian National Congress. The Janata Party has had one member, Neelam Sanjiva
Reddy, who later became President. Two Presidents, Zakir Husain and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, have died in office. Their Vice-Presidents served as Acting Presidents until a new President was elected. Following
Zakir Husain's death, two acting Presidents held office until the new President, V. V. Giri, was elected. When Giri resigned to take part in the presidential elections, he was succeeded by Mohammad
Hidayatullah as acting President.[8] The 12th President, Pratibha Patil, is the first woman to serve as President of India, elected in 2007.[9]
On 25 July 2017, Ram Nath Kovind took office as the 14th President of India.[10][11]

Contents

 1Presidents
 2See also
 3References
o 3.1General
o 3.2Specific
 4External links

Presidents
This list is numbered based on Presidents elected after winning an Indian Presidential election. The terms of Varahagiri Venkata Giri, Mohammad Hidayatullah, and Basappa Danappa Jatti, who served as Acting
President, are therefore not numbered or counted as actual terms in office. The President of India does not represent any political party. The colours used in the table indicate the following:
Acting President of India (3)
President was an Independent candidate (5)
President was a candidate of Indian National Congress (INC) (7)
President was a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (1)
President was a candidate of the Janata Party (JP) (1)

Appointed
N Name Took Left Previous Candidate by
Photograph Elected Vote Share Term Vice President (Chief Notes
o (birth–death) office office Post of[12]
Justice of
India)

Elected
unanimously 26 Constituent
13 May
1950 by January Assembly of
1952
the Constituent 1950 India Prasad, from Bihar, was the first
Assembly President of independent India and
President of Indian also the longest-serving President,
Rajendra Prasad 12 years, Sarvepalli
1 the Constituent National as the only president to serve two
(1884–1963) 107 days Radhakrishnan terms in office.[6][13][14] He was also
13 May 13 May Assembly Congress M. Patanjali
1952 83.8% a freedom fighter during theIndian
1952 1957 Sastri
independence movement.[15]

13 May 13 May Sudhi Ranjan

1957 98.9%
1957 1962 Das
 Appointed
N Name Took Left Previous Candidate by
Photograph Elected Vote Share Term Vice President (Chief Notes
o (birth–death) office office Post of[12]
Justice of
India)

Radhakrishnan was a prominent

philosopher and writer and also
held the position of vice-
chancellor of theAndhra
Sarvepalli 13 May 13 May 5 years, Bhuvaneshwa Universityand Banaras Hindu
2 Radhakrishnan 1962 98.2% Vice President Zakir Husain Independent University.[16] He received
1962 1967 0 days r Prasad Sinha
(1888–1975) the Bharat Ratna award in 1954
before becoming the
President.[17] He was the first
President from South India.[18]

Husain was vice-chancellor of

theAligarh Muslim University and
a recipient of Padma
Zakir Husain 13 May 3 May 1 year, Varahagiri Venkata Kailas Nath Vibhushan andBharat Ratna.[19]He
3 1967 56.2% Vice President Independent died in office, the first to do so.
(1897–1969) 1967 1969 355 days Giri Wanchoo
He was also the shortest-serving
President. He was also the first
Muslim President.[20]

He was elected Vice President of

India in 1967. Following the death
Varahagiri 3 May 20 July of President Zakir Husain, Giri
– Venkata Giri* – – 78 days Vice President – – – was appointed as Acting
1969 1969 President.[21] He resigned after a
(1894–1980)
few months to take part in the
presidential elections.[8]

Hidayatullah served as the Chief

Justice of India and was also a
Mohammad 20 July 24 August recipient of the Order of the
– Hidayatullah* – – 35 days Chief Justice – – – British Empire.[22]He served as
1969 1969
(1905–1992) Acting President until the election
of Giri as the President of India.[23]

Giri was the first person to have

served as both an acting president
Varahagiri 24 and president of India. He was a
24 August 5 years, Acting Gopal Swarup Mohammad
4 Venkata Giri 1969 50.8% August Independent recipient of theBharat Ratna, and
1974 0 days President Pathak Hidayatullah served as Labour and Employment
(1894–1980) 1969
Minister and High Commissioner
toCeylon (Sri Lanka).[24]

Gopal Swarup Ahmed served as a Minister

Pathak (1974) before being elected as president.
Fakhruddin Ali 24 11 Food and Indian He died in 1977 before his term of
2 years,
5 Ahmed 1974 79.9% August February Agriculture National A. N. Ray office ended, and was the second
171 days
(1905–1977) 1974 1977 Minister Congress Indian president to die in
Basappa Danappa office.[25] He was also president
Jatti(1974–1977) duringEmergency.[26]
 Appointed
N Name Took Left Previous Candidate by
Photograph Elected Vote Share Term Vice President (Chief Notes
o (birth–death) office office Post of[12]
Justice of
India)

Jatti was the vice president of

India during Ahmed's term of
Basappa Danappa 11 office, and was sworn in as Acting
25 July
– Jatti* – – February 164 days Vice President – – – President upon Ahmed's death. He
1977 earlier served as the Chief
(1912–2002) 1977
Minister for the State of Mysore
State.[25][27]
Reddy was the firstChief Minister
Basappa Danappa of Andhra Pradesh. Reddy was the
Jatti(1977–1979) onlyMember of Parliament from
Mirza the Janata Party to get elected
Neelam Sanjiva elected 25 July 25 July 5 years, Speaker of the from Andhra Pradesh.[28]He was
6 Reddy 1977 Janata Party Hameedullah unanimously elected Speaker of
unopposed 1977 1982 0 days Lok Sabha Mohammad
(1913–1996) Beg the Lok Sabha on 26 March 1977
Hidayatullah(1979–
and relinquished this office on 13
1982) July 1977 to become the 6th
President of India.[23]

Mohammad
Hidayatullah(1982– In March 1972, Singh assumed the
1984) position of Chief Minister of
Indian Punjab, and in 1980, he became
Zail Singh 25 July 25 July 5 years, Y. V.
7 1982 72.7% Home Minister National Union Home Minister. He was
(1916–1994) 1982 1987 0 days Chandrachud also secretary general to Non-
Ramaswamy Congress
Aligned Movement(NAM) from
Venkataraman(1984 1983 to 1986[29]
–1987)

In 1942, Venkataraman was jailed

by the British for his involvement
in the Indian independence
movement.[30] After his release, he
Indian Raghunandan was elected to independent India’s
Ramaswamy 25 July 25 July 5 years, Shankar Dayal Provisional Parliament as a
8 Venkataraman 1987 72.2% Vice President National Swarup member of the Congress Party in
1987 1992 0 days Sharma
(1910–2009) Congress Pathak 1950 and eventually joined the
central government, where he first
served as Minister of Finance and
Industry and later as Minister of
Defence.[31]

Sharma was Chief Minister of

Madhya Pradesh, and the Indian
Shankar Dayal Indian Minister for Communications. He
25 July 25 July 5 years, Kocheril Raman Madhukar
9 Sharma 1992 65.8% Vice President National also served as the Governor of
1992 1997 0 days Narayanan Hiralal Kania Andhra
(1918–1999) Congress
Pradesh,Punjab andMaharashtra.[32
]

Narayanan served as India's

ambassador to Thailand, Turkey,
China and United States of
America. He received doctorates
Kocheril Raman 25 July 25 July 5 years, in Science and Law and was also a
10 Narayanan 1997 92.8% Vice President Krishan Kant Independent J. S. Verma chancellor in several
1997 2002 0 days
(1921–2005) universities.[33] He was also
the vice-chancellor ofJawaharlal
Nehru University.[34] He was the
first DalitPresident.[35]

Kalam was an educator and

Krishan Kant(2002) engineer who played a leading
Avul Pakir Chief role in the development of India's
Jainulabdeen 25 July 25 July 5 years, Scientific Bhupinder ballistic missile and nuclear
11 2002 89.5% Bhairon Singh Independent weapons programs.[36] He also
Abdul Kalam 2002 2007 0 days Advisor of Nath Kirpal
(1931–2015) Prime Minister Shekhawat(2002– received theBharat Ratna. He was
2007) popularly known as "People's
President".[37][38][39]
 Appointed
N Name Took Left Previous Candidate by
Photograph Elected Vote Share Term Vice President (Chief Notes
o (birth–death) office office Post of[12]
Justice of
India)

Indian Patil was the first woman to

Pratibha Patil 25 July 25 July 5 years, Governor of Mohammad Hamid K. G. become the President of India. She
12 2007 65.8% National was also the first femalegovernor
(1934–) 2007 2012 0 days Rajasthan Ansari Balakrishnan
Congress of Rajasthan.[40][41]

Mukherjee held various posts in

the cabinet ministry for
Indian the Government of India such
Pranab Mukherjee 25 July 25 July 5 years, Finance Mohammad Hamid
13 2012 69.3% National S. H. Kapadia asFinance Minister,Foreign
(1935–) 2012 2017 0 days Minister Ansari Minister,Defence
Congress
Ministerand Deputy Chairman of
the Planning Commission.[42]

Kovind wasgovernor of Biharfrom

2015 to 2017 and a Member of
Parliament from 1994 to 2006. He
is the second Dalitpresident
Ram Nath Kovind 25 July 1 year, Governor of Bharatiya Jagdish Singh (after K. R. Narayanan) and is the
14 2017 65.6% Incumbent Venkaiah Naidu first President from the Bharatiya
(1945–) 2017 185 days Bihar Janata Party Khehar
Janata Party (BJP) and is an active
member ofRashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since
his youth.[43]