Polity notes · Chapter 12 of 19

Parliament & the President

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Parliament

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Parliament
  • Constitution → Parliamentary form of government at
  • → Centre
  • → Article 74 : President shall act on the aid & advice of COM +
  • President shall act accordingly ( 42nd CAA ) + Reconsideration
  • only once ( 44th CAA ).
  • → Article 75: The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to
  • the Lok Sabha.
  • → State
  • → Article 163 : Similar to Article 74 BUT
  • – ✗ Governor shall act accordingly
  • – ✗ Can send for reconsideration
  • – ✓ Constitution discretion
  • → Article 164 : Similar to Article 75
  • *Parliamentary form of govt has been taught separately
Parliament
  • 1. Supreme legislature of Union of India
  • 2. Part V : Article 79 to 122
  • 3. Article 79 : There shall be a parliament of India
  • 4. Composition : Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha + President
  • – a. Bicameral (GOI Act, 1919)
  • – b. Lok Sabha → House of People + Rajya Sabha → Council of states

President

AspectPresidentVice President
Constitutional DimensionArticles 52-62Articles 63-71
Highest Constitutional Post2nd Highest Constitutional Post
PowersWide powers as Nominal headEx-officio Chairperson of Rajya Sabha (Article 63)
Role of President in case of vacancy due to death or resignation (Article 65)
RoleHead of State Appoints key officials (PM, COM, EC, etc.)
Assents to Bills Declares Emergency		as Chairman
Term5 years, can be re-elected any number of timesSame
RemovalImpeachment
[2/3rd majority of total members of each House]		Resolution
[Effective majority in Rajya Sabha, simple majority in Lok Sabha]
Oath of OfficeAdministered by Chief Justice of IndiaAdministered by President
Salaries & AllowancesCharged on Consolidated Fund of IndiaSame
Electoral CollegeElected members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative AssembliesAll members of both Houses of Parliament (543 + 245 = 788)
EligibilityCitizen of India 35/+ age Eligible to be a member of Lok Sabha Does not hold office of profit✔
✔
Eligible to be a member of Rajya Sabha
✔
No.Election YearVictorious CandidateNo. of Votes Secured (%)Main Rival CandidateNo. of Votes Secured (%)
11952Dr. Rajendra Prasad507,400 (83.81)K.T. Shah92,827 (15.3)
21957Dr. Rajendra Prasad459,698 (99.35)N.N. Das2,000 (0.04)
31962Dr. S. Radhakrishnan553,067 (98.24)Ch. Hari Ram6,341 (1.1)
41967Dr. Zakir Hussain471,244 (56.23)K. Subba Rao363,971 (43.4)
51969V.V. Giri420,077 (50.22)N. Sanjeeva Reddy405,427 (48.5)
61974Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed756,587 (80.18)Tridev Chaudhuri189,186 (19.8)
71977N. Sanjeeva ReddyUnopposed--
81982Giani Zail Singh754,113 (72.73)H.R. Khanna282,685 (27.6)
91987R. Venkataraman740,148 (72.29)V. Krishna Ayyer281,550 (27.1)
101992Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma675,564 (65.86)George Swell346,485 (33.21)
111997K.R. Narayanan956,290 (94.97)T.N. Seshan50,431 (5.07)
122002Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam922,884 (89.58)Laxmi Sehgal107,366 (10.42)
132007Ms. Pratibha Patil638,116 (65.82)B.S. Shekhawat331,306 (34.17)
142012Pranab Mukherjee713,763 (68.12)P.A. Sangma315,987 (30.15)
152017Ram Nath Kovind702,044 (65.65)Meira Kumar367,314 (34.35)
162022Droupadi Murmu676,803 (64.03)Yashwant Sinha380,177 (35.97)
No.Election YearVictorious CandidateNo. of Votes SecuredMain Rival CandidateNo. of Votes Secured
11952Dr. S. Radhakrishnan-Unopposed-
21957Dr. S. Radhakrishnan-Unopposed-
31962Dr. Zakir Hussain568N. Samant Singh14
41967V.V. Giri486Prof. Habib192
51969G.S. Pathak400H.V. Kamath156
61974B.D. Jatti521N.E. Horo141
71979M. Hidayatullah-Unopposed-
81984R. Venkataraman508B.C. Kambley207
91987Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma-Unopposed-
101992K.R. Narayanan700Vaka Joginder Singh1
111997Krishna Kant441Surjeet Singh Barnala273
122002B.S. Shekhawat454Shushil Kumar Shinde305
132007Mohd. Hamid Ansari455Najma Heptullah222
142012Mohd. Hamid Ansari490Jaswant Singh238
152017Venkaiah Naidu516Gopal Krishna Gandhi244
162022Jagdeep Dhankar528Margaret Alva182

Check yourself

President · A. 52
  • A. 52: There shall be a President of India.
  • A. 53: The executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President. The President shall exercise this power
  • – either directly or
  • – through officers subordinate to him.
  • A. 54: The Electoral College:
  • – Lok Sabha (543 members)
  • – Rajya Sabha (233 members)
  • – State Legislative Assemblies (totaling 1,817 members, including Delhi and Puducherry)
  • A. 55: The representation of states in the Presidential election shall be uniform:
  • – The number of votes for each elected member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is calculated using the formula:
  • – Value of one MLA vote = Population of the State ÷ (Number of elected MLAs × 1000)
  • – States = Union → ensured by
  • – Value of one MP vote = Total value of votes of all MLAs ÷ Number of elected MPs
President · A. 55
  • A. 55: Method of Election: President
  • – Proportional Representation
  • – Single Transferable Vote
  • – Secret Ballot
  • A. 56: Term -> 5 years
  • – From Date of Entering Office
  • – Expiration of term → President → Continues until successor enters upon office
  • – Resignation/Impeachment
  • – President Resigns to Vice President
  • – Impeachment for Violation of Constitution
President · A. 61
  • A. 61: Impeachment Process
  • – Resolution by Any House (1/4th members)
  • – 14 days' notice to the members
  • – Passed by 2/3rd majority
  • – Charge by the House
  • – Other House investigates the charge
  • – President shall have the right to appear
  • – 2/3rd majority → Impeached
  • A. 57: Re-election any number of times
President · A. 58
  • A. 58: Qualifications for President
  • – Citizen of India
  • – 35 years of age
  • – Qualified for election as a Member of the Lok Sabha
  • – Does not hold an Office of Profit *Exempted:
  • – President
  • – Vice President
  • – Governor
  • – Minister
President · A. 59
  • A. 59: President's Conditions
  • – Not a Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Vacate MP/MLA seat upon election
  • – Official residence (no rent)
  • – Emolument + allowance (not to be diminished) + privilege
  • A. 60: Oath to Chief Justice of India or in his absence, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court
  • A. 61: Impeachment (details as above)
  • A. 62: Election to fill vacancy
  • – Expiry → before the term
  • – Death/ Resignation /Impeachment → within 6 months
Powers of the President · Military Powers
  • Military Powers
  • – Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces
  • – Appoints Army, Navy & Air Force chiefs
  • – Declares war/concludes peace with approval of Parliament
  • Emergency Powers
  • – Declares 3 types of emergencies
  • Executive Powers
  • – Executive actions in his name
  • – Makes rules for the transaction of government business
  • – Appoints Governor
  • – Appoints:
  • – Council of Ministers (COM)
  • – Attorney General of India (AGI)
  • – Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
  • – Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners
  • – Declares any area as Scheduled Areas/Tribal Areas
Powers of the President · Financial Powers
  • Financial Powers
  • – Money Bill introduced with prior recommendation
  • – Budget laid before Parliament
  • – Demand for Grant only after his recommendation
  • – Constitutes Finance Commission every 5 years
  • Judicial Powers
  • – Appoints Judges to Supreme Court and High Courts
  • – Seeks advice from Supreme Court (Article 143)
  • – Pardoning powers (Article 72)
  • Diplomatic Powers
  • – International treaties & agreements on behalf of the President
Powers of the President · part 3
  • Financial Powers
  • – Money Bill introduced with prior recommendation
  • – Budget laid before Parliament
  • – Demand for Grant only after his recommendation
  • – Constitutes Finance Commission every 5 years
  • Judicial Powers
  • – Appoints Judges to Supreme Court and High Courts
  • – Seeks advice from Supreme Court (Article 143)
  • – Pardoning powers (Article 72)
  • Diplomatic Powers
  • – International treaties & agreements on behalf of the President
Comparison of President and Vice President of India
  • Constitutional Dimension — Articles 52-62 — Articles 63-71
  • — Highest Constitutional Post — 2nd Highest Constitutional Post
  • Powers — Wide powers as Nominal head — Ex-officio Chairperson of Rajya Sabha (Article 63)
    Role of President in case of vacancy due to death or resignation (Article 65)
  • Role — Head of State Appoints key officials (PM, COM, EC, etc.)
    Assents to Bills Declares Emergency — as Chairman
  • Term — 5 years, can be re-elected any number of times — Same
  • Removal — Impeachment
    [2/3rd majority of total members of each House] — Resolution
    [Effective majority in Rajya Sabha, simple majority in Lok Sabha]
  • Oath of Office — Administered by Chief Justice of India — Administered by President
  • Salaries & Allowances — Charged on Consolidated Fund of India — Same
  • Electoral College — Elected members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies — All members of both Houses of Parliament (543 + 245 = 788)
  • Eligibility — Citizen of India 35/+ age Eligible to be a member of Lok Sabha Does not hold office of profit — ✔
    ✔
    Eligible to be a member of Rajya Sabha
    ✔
Elections of the Presidents of India (1952 - till now)
  • 1 — 1952 — Dr. Rajendra Prasad — 507,400 (83.81) — K.T. Shah — 92,827 (15.3)
  • 2 — 1957 — Dr. Rajendra Prasad — 459,698 (99.35) — N.N. Das — 2,000 (0.04)
  • 3 — 1962 — Dr. S. Radhakrishnan — 553,067 (98.24) — Ch. Hari Ram — 6,341 (1.1)
  • 4 — 1967 — Dr. Zakir Hussain — 471,244 (56.23) — K. Subba Rao — 363,971 (43.4)
  • 5 — 1969 — V.V. Giri — 420,077 (50.22) — N. Sanjeeva Reddy — 405,427 (48.5)
  • 6 — 1974 — Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed — 756,587 (80.18) — Tridev Chaudhuri — 189,186 (19.8)
  • 7 — 1977 — N. Sanjeeva Reddy — Unopposed — - — -
  • 8 — 1982 — Giani Zail Singh — 754,113 (72.73) — H.R. Khanna — 282,685 (27.6)
  • 9 — 1987 — R. Venkataraman — 740,148 (72.29) — V. Krishna Ayyer — 281,550 (27.1)
  • 10 — 1992 — Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma — 675,564 (65.86) — George Swell — 346,485 (33.21)
  • 11 — 1997 — K.R. Narayanan — 956,290 (94.97) — T.N. Seshan — 50,431 (5.07)
  • 12 — 2002 — Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — 922,884 (89.58) — Laxmi Sehgal — 107,366 (10.42)
  • 13 — 2007 — Ms. Pratibha Patil — 638,116 (65.82) — B.S. Shekhawat — 331,306 (34.17)
  • 14 — 2012 — Pranab Mukherjee — 713,763 (68.12) — P.A. Sangma — 315,987 (30.15)
  • 15 — 2017 — Ram Nath Kovind — 702,044 (65.65) — Meira Kumar — 367,314 (34.35)
  • 16 — 2022 — Droupadi Murmu — 676,803 (64.03) — Yashwant Sinha — 380,177 (35.97)
Elections of the Vice Presidents of India (1952 - till now)
  • 1 — 1952 — Dr. S. Radhakrishnan — - — Unopposed — -
  • 2 — 1957 — Dr. S. Radhakrishnan — - — Unopposed — -
  • 3 — 1962 — Dr. Zakir Hussain — 568 — N. Samant Singh — 14
  • 4 — 1967 — V.V. Giri — 486 — Prof. Habib — 192
  • 5 — 1969 — G.S. Pathak — 400 — H.V. Kamath — 156
  • 6 — 1974 — B.D. Jatti — 521 — N.E. Horo — 141
  • 7 — 1979 — M. Hidayatullah — - — Unopposed — -
  • 8 — 1984 — R. Venkataraman — 508 — B.C. Kambley — 207
  • 9 — 1987 — Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma — - — Unopposed — -
  • 10 — 1992 — K.R. Narayanan — 700 — Vaka Joginder Singh — 1
  • 11 — 1997 — Krishna Kant — 441 — Surjeet Singh Barnala — 273
  • 12 — 2002 — B.S. Shekhawat — 454 — Shushil Kumar Shinde — 305
  • 13 — 2007 — Mohd. Hamid Ansari — 455 — Najma Heptullah — 222
  • 14 — 2012 — Mohd. Hamid Ansari — 490 — Jaswant Singh — 238
  • 15 — 2017 — Venkaiah Naidu — 516 — Gopal Krishna Gandhi — 244
  • 16 — 2022 — Jagdeep Dhankar — 528 — Margaret Alva — 182
All 19 chapters of Polity notes
  1. Making of the Constitution1 sections
  2. Preamble3 sections
  3. Union & its Territory2 sections
  4. Citizenship2 sections
  5. Fundamental Rights8 sections
  6. Fundamental Duties3 sections
  7. Directive Principles8 sections
  8. Amendment & Basic Structure4 sections
  9. Parliamentary System1 sections
  10. Federal System3 sections
  11. Judiciary5 sections
  12. Parliament & the President2 sections
  13. Houses, Council of Ministers & PM5 sections
  14. Parliamentary Business6 sections
  15. Committees & State Legislature4 sections
  16. Centre–State Relations1 sections
  17. Inter-State Relations1 sections
  18. Emergency Provisions1 sections
  19. Constitutional & Statutory Bodies2 sections