Although the President of India is only a nominal head, with very little power, we ought to know about the history and polity of the post. To avoid Steve Harvey moment as Ram Nath Kovind is sworn as the 14th President of India, here are 11 facts for you.
1. President of India is the head of the Union Executive and the Supreme Commander of the Defense Forces. All executive action by the government is carried out in his name.
2. To be elected the President, one has to be a citizen of India, minimum 35 years of age and eligible to be a member of the Lok Sabha.
3. The President is elected indirectly, that is, not directly by the people of India. He is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies.
4. He holds office for a term of five years.
5. He can be re-elected after his term. This can be done any number of times. In the United States, a President can be elected only for two terms.
6. He can be removed from office by a quasi-judicial process of impeachment. No Indian President has been impeached so far.
7. The President is a titular head, who works only on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers. He acquires some functional importance only when no party gets a majority in general elections, during emergency and to grant pardon during a death sentence.
8. The first President of India was Dr. Rajendra Prasad. He is the only President to have served two terms.
9. The first and only woman President of India was Pratibha Patil.
10. Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the Missile Man of India, and the 10th President, was a favourite among the children and was called the People’s President.
11. The recently elected President, Ram Nath Kovind is a former Governor of Bihar and represented India at the UN General Assembly in 2002.
Now you will have an extra edge when your friends talk politics over a cup of chai.
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