16th Presidential Election In India

The Tenure of the incumbent President of India (Mr. Ram Nath Kovind) is set to end in July 2022. So, the 16th Indian Presidential election was held to elect his successor on 18th July 2022, and the counting of votes will take place on 21 July 2022.

However, Mr. Yashwant Sinha was unanimously chosen as the common candidate of the UPA Party and other opposition parties for this Presidential Election. And, Ms. Draupadi Murmu has also filed the nomination as a presidential candidate from the ruling party BJP.

What does Our Constitution say about Presidential Election?

According to Article 52 of the Constitution of India, There shall be a President of India.

According to Article 62 clause 1 of the Constitution of India, An election to fill a vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of the President shall be completed before the expiration of the term of 5 years.

Election for the President of India:

The election process is to be dealt with according to Article 54-55 of the Constitution of India, Which means that The President of India is elected indirectly by the single-transferable voting system. 

It further lays down that The Indian President shall be elected through an electoral college system, wherein the votes are cast by national and State-level lawmakers. And, The electoral college is made up of :

1. All the elected members of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), and the House of the People (Lok Sabha).
2. All the elected Members of the Legislative Assemblies of States and Union Territories (MLAs).

Additionally, The elections are conducted and overseen by the Election Commission (EC) of India.

Election Process-

Nomination Filing:

The Candidate, Intending to be a President, files the nomination along with a signed list of 50 proposers and 50 seconders. These proposers and seconders can be anyone among the total members of the electoral college from the State and national levels.
Moreover, These proposers can not propose or second more than one candidate.

Vote Casting & Counting: How is a Vote for President Election Counted?

According to Article 55 of the constitution of India, Each MP/ MLA cast their vote and it is determined in the following manner:

1. Every elected member of the Legislative Assembly of a State shall have as many votes as there are multiples of one thousand in the quotient obtained by dividing the population of the state by the total number of the elected members of the Assembly;
2. If, after taking the said multiples of one thousand, the remainder is not less than five hundred, then the vote for each member referred to in sub-clause (a) shall be further increased by One.
3. Each elected member of either House of Parliament shall have a such number of votes as may be obtained by dividing the total number of votes assigned to the members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States under sub-clauses (a) and (b) by the total number of the elected members of both houses of Parliament, fractions exceeding one-half being counted as one and other fractions being disregarded.

According to Article 55 clause 3 of the Constitution of India, The election of the President shall be in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the Single Transferable Vote and the voting at such election shall be by Secret Ballot.

Can the President of India be re-elected?

Yes, According to Article 57 of the Constitution of India, The President shall be eligible for re-election to that office.