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List of presidents of India facts for kids

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The president of India is like the main leader of the country, the head of state of India. They are also the top commander of the Indian Armed Forces, which means they are in charge of the army, navy, and air force. People often call the president the "first citizen of India." Even though the Constitution gives the president many powers, the prime minister usually handles the day-to-day running of the country. So, the president's role is mostly about representing India and its values.

The president is chosen by a special group called the Electoral College. This group includes elected members from both houses of the Indian Parliament (the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha), and also members from the state assemblies (called Saasana Sabha or Vidhan Sabha). A president stays in office for five years. If a president's term ends early, or if they are away, the vice president steps in.

India has had 15 presidents since it became a republic in 1950, when the Indian constitution was adopted. Besides these 15, three people have also served as acting presidents for short times. V. V. Giri became an acting president in 1969 after Zakir Husain passed away while in office. Giri was later elected president. He is the only person to have been both an acting president and a full president. Rajendra Prasad, India's first president, is the only one who served for two terms.

Many presidents were part of a political party before they were elected. Six of them were active members of the Indian National Congress party. One president, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, was from the Janata Party. Sadly, two presidents, Zakir Husain and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, died while they were in office. Their vice presidents then became acting presidents until a new president could be elected. Pratibha Patil, who was elected in 2007, was the first woman to become president.

On 25 July 2022, Droupadi Murmu became the 15th president of India. She is the second woman to hold this important position and the first president from a tribal community.

  • Top left: Rajendra Prasad was the first and longest-serving President of India.
  • Top right: Zakir Husain was the first from a minority religion to become President of India.
  • Bottom left: Pratibha Patil was the first female President of India.
  • Bottom right: Droupadi Murmu is the youngest President and the first President from a tribal community.

Who are the Presidents of India?

This section lists the presidents who were elected after winning an Indian presidential election. People who served as acting presidents, like V. V. Giri, Mohammad Hidayatullah, and B. D. Jatti, are not numbered in this list because they were not formally elected to the full term. The president of India is not supposed to represent any political party.

No. Picture Name

(Born–Died)

Home State Previous Job(s) Time in Office Vice President Political Party
Started Office Left Office How Long
Interim Rajendra Prasad (Indian President), signed image for Walter Nash (NZ Prime Minister), 1958 (16017609534).jpg Rajendra Prasad
(1884–1963)
Bihar Minister of Agriculture 26 January 1950 13 May 1952 12 years, 107 days Indian National Congress
1 13 May 1952 13 May 1957 Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
13 May 1957 13 May 1962
2 Photograph of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan presented to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962.jpg Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
(1888–1975)
Tamil Nadu Vice President of India 13 May 1962 13 May 1967 5 years Zakir Husain Independent
3 President Zakir Husain 1998 stamp of India (cropped).jpg Zakir Husain
(1897–1969)
Andhra Pradesh Vice President of India
Governor of Bihar
13 May 1967 3 May 1969 1 year, 355 days V. V. Giri
Acting Varahagiri Venkata Giri, 3rd Vice President of India.jpg V. V. Giri
(1894–1980)
Odisha Vice President of India 3 May 1969 20 July 1969 78 days
Acting Mohammad Hidayatullah, 6th Vice President of India.jpg Mohammad Hidayatullah
(1905–1992)
Chhattisgarh Chief Justice of India 20 July 1969 24 August 1969 35 days
4 Varahagiri Venkata Giri, 3rd Vice President of India.jpg V. V. Giri
(1894–1980)
Odisha Vice President of India
Governor of Kerala
24 August 1969 24 August 1974 5 years Gopal Swarup Pathak
5 President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.jpg Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
(1905–1977)
National Capital Territory of Delhi Minister of Agriculture 24 August 1974 11 February 1977 2 years, 171 days Gopal Swarup Pathak

B. D. Jatti

Indian National Congress
Acting Basappa Danappa Jatti, 5th Vice President of India.jpg B. D. Jatti
(1912–2002)
Karnataka Chief Minister of Karnataka 11 February 1977 25 July 1977 164 days
6 NeelamSanjeevaReddy.jpg Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
(1913–1996)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh 25 July 1977 25 July 1982 5 years B. D. Jatti
Mohammad Hidayatullah
Janata Party
7 Giani Zail Singh.jpg Zail Singh
(1916–1994)
Punjab Chief Minister of Punjab 25 July 1982 25 July 1987 5 years Mohammad Hidayatullah
Ramaswamy Venkataraman
Indian National Congress
8 R Venkataraman.jpg Ramaswamy Venkataraman
(1910–2009)
Tamil Nadu Vice President of India
Minister of Defence
25 July 1987 25 July 1992 5 years Shankar Dayal Sharma
9 Shankar Dayal Sharma.jpg Shankar Dayal Sharma
(1918–1999)
Madhya Pradesh Vice President of India
Governor of Maharashtra
25 July 1992 25 July 1997 5 years K. R. Narayanan
10 President Clinton with Indian president K. R. Narayanan (cropped).jpg K. R. Narayanan
(1920–2005)
Kerala Vice President of India 25 July 1997 25 July 2002 5 years Krishan Kant
11 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.jpg A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
(1931–2015)
Tamil Nadu Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of India 25 July 2002 25 July 2007 5 years Krishan Kant
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Independent
12 The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil.jpg Pratibha Patil
(born 1934)
Maharashtra Governor of Rajasthan 25 July 2007 25 July 2012 5 years M. Hamid Ansari Indian National Congress
13 Pranab Mukherjee Portrait (cropped).jpg Pranab Mukherjee
(1935–2020)
West Bengal Minister of Defence
Minister of Finance
Minister of External Affairs
25 July 2012 25 July 2017 5 years
14 Ram Nath Kovind official portrait.jpg Ram Nath Kovind
(born 1945)
Uttar Pradesh Governor of Bihar 25 July 2017 25 July 2022 5 years M. Hamid Ansari
M. Venkaiah Naidu
Bharatiya Janata Party
15 President Droupadi Murmu official portrait higher version.jpg Droupadi Murmu
(born 1958)
Odisha Governor of Jharkhand 25 July 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 327 days M. Venkaiah Naidu
Jagdeep Dhankhar

Presidential Statistics

This section shows some interesting facts about the presidents of India.




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How many presidents came from each political group      Indian National Congress (53.33%)     Independent (26.67%)     Bharatiya Janata Party (13.33%)     Janata Party (6.67%)

Timeline of Presidents
Droupadi Murmu Ram Nath Kovind Pranab Mukherjee Pratibha Patil A. P. J. Abdul Kalam K. R. Narayanan Shankar Dayal Sharma Ramaswamy Venkataraman Zail Singh Neelam Sanjiva Reddy B. D. Jatti Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed V. V. Giri Mohammad Hidayatullah V. V. Giri Zakir Husain (politician) Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rajendra Prasad

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