Presidential Elections in India

The Presidential Elections in India are conducted under the authority of the Election Commission of India, as per the provisions of the Constitution of India. The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, and the voting is by secret ballot. To be eligible to contest the Presidential Election, a candidate must fulfill the following conditions:

• Must be a citizen of India
• Must have completed 35 years of age
• Must be qualified for election as a member of the Lok Sabha
• Should not be holding any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said Governments.

In addition to these conditions, a candidate's nomination must be subscribed by at least fifty electors as proposers and at least fifty electors as seconders. The nomination paper must be presented to the Returning Officer between 11AM and 3PM on any day other than on a public holiday appointed for the purpose by the Election Commission. The candidate is also required to deposit a security deposit of Rs.15000/- either in cash with the Returning Officer or a receipt showing that the amount has been deposited by the candidate or on his behalf in the Reserve Bank of India or in a Government Treasury.

The Presidential Election in India is a multi-phase election that takes place over several days. The duration of the election has varied, with the first elections in 1951-1952 taking nearly four months to complete, while the most recent election in 2019 took 39 days. The 2024 election is expected to be the second longest in recent history.

The election is conducted for the purpose of electing the President of India, who is the head of state of the Republic of India. The President holds a largely ceremonial role, but is also responsible for certain executive functions such as approving emergency measures and appointing the Prime Minister.