How is the President of India: elected? Outline the salient· characteristics of the electoral college of the Indian President. (2017, 15 Marks)
The Constituent Assembly wanted a head of state who reigns but does not rule. Direct election would have created a popular mandate rivalling the Prime Minister’s, so Articles 54 and 55 provide an indirect election by the elected representatives of the Union and the states — a democratic and federal base without an independent mandate.
How the President is elected
- Eligibility (Article 58): a citizen, at least 35 years old, qualified for the Lok Sabha and holding no office of profit. A nomination needs 50 proposers and 50 seconders from the college (since 1997).
- Voting (Article 55(3)): proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, by secret ballot. For a single seat this works as an alternative vote; marking a first preference is compulsory.
- Counting: the quota is half the total value of valid votes plus one. Failing that, the lowest candidate is eliminated and their ballots transferred by next preference. Only in 1969 did second preferences decide the result, when V. V. Giri crossed the quota against Neelam Sanjiva Reddy after a call for a “conscience vote” that preceded the Congress split.
- Timing and disputes: the election must be completed before the outgoing term expires (Article 62); disputes go only to the Supreme Court (Article 71), and a vacancy in the college is no ground for challenge (11th Amendment, 1961).
Salient characteristics of the electoral college
| Feature | Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Elected MPs and MLAs only | Article 54 | Authority from elected representatives |
| Nominated members and MLCs excluded | Article 54 | Only the directly elected vote |
| Assemblies of Delhi and Puducherry included | 70th Amendment (1992) | Voice for territories with legislatures |
| Votes weighted by population | Article 55(1)–(2) | Uniformity among states |
| MP votes equal the states’ total | Article 55(2) | Parity between the Union and the states |
| 1971 population used | 84th Amendment (2001), until the first census after 2026 | No penalty for population control |
The formula (fractions above one-half rounded up):
- Value of an MLA’s vote = state population (1971) ÷ elected MLAs ÷ 1,000. A Uttar Pradesh MLA carries 208; a Sikkim MLA carries 7.
- Value of an MP’s vote = total value of all MLA votes ÷ total elected MPs.
In 2022 the college’s total value was 10,86,431 (states 5,43,231; Parliament 5,43,200). An MP’s vote fell to 700 from 708 because Jammu and Kashmir had no assembly. Droupadi Murmu won 64.03% of the value of votes cast against Yashwant Sinha. With that assembly restored in 2024, the value will change in 2027.
Significance and limits
- The weighting is both federal (states jointly equal Parliament) and democratic (a vote’s weight follows the population behind it).
- Limits: the Tenth Schedule does not apply, so whips lack legal force, yet party managers largely settle the outcome beforehand. The 1971 freeze strains “one person, one value” as populations diverge; the post-census readjustment will reopen the North–South balance.
Conclusion
The college mirrors the office: broad enough to confer legitimacy, indirect enough to deny a rival mandate, and weighted so that neither the Union nor the populous states dominate.