Presidential Election 2022: Election of President's Office

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Presidential Election 2022- Relevance for UPSC Exam

Presidential Election 2022: The Election to the Office of President of India is a constitutional process. Office of President comes under the Indian Constitution- Historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure of UPSC Mains GS Paper 2.

Presidential Election 2022 in News

Recently, the Election Commission, by issuing a notification, has fixed the following schedule for the Presidential Election, 2022-

- June 29, 2022: the last date for making nominations;
- June 30, 2022: the date for the scrutiny of nominations;
- July 2,2022: the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures; and
- July 18, 2022: the date on which a poll shall, if necessary, be taken.

Article 324 of the Constitution read with the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the Presidential and Vice – Presidential Elections Rules, 1974 vests the ECI with-
- Superintendence, direction and control of the conduct of election to the office of the President of India.

Presidential Election 2022

Background: The term of office of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, is ending on 24th July, 2022.
Constitutional Provision:
- Article 62 of the Constitution of India: an election to fill the vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of the outgoing President is required to be completed before the expiration of the term.
- Article 55: Talks about manner in which president is to be elected.
- Article 57: Talks about eligibility for re-election as the President of India.

Powers and Functions of Vice President of India

Who are eligible for Presidential Election 2022?

A Presidential candidate has to meet some qualifications for him/her to be elected as the president. The required qualifications for the office of president of India are:

She/He should be an Indian Citizen
She/His age should be a minimum of 35 years
She/He should qualify the conditions to be elected as a member of the Lok Sabha
She/He should not hold any office of profit under the central government, state government, or any public authority.

Election of President of India

Pre-requisite for the Election of President:
- The nomination of a candidate for election to the office of President must be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and 50 electors as seconders.
- Every candidate has to make a security deposit of Rs. 15,000 in the RBI, which is liable to be forfeited in case the candidate fails to secure one-sixth of the votes polled.
Principle of Election for President of India: The election of the President of India is based on the principle of Proportional Representation by means of a single transferable vote.
Voting Method for the Election of President of India: It is a secret ballot system of voting.
Electoral College for the Election of President of India: Article 54 states that the President of India shall be elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of-
- The elected members of both Houses of Parliament; and
- The elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States.
Note: For the purpose of Article 54 and Article 55, “State” includes the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union territory of Pondicherry.
Resolution of Disputes in Election of President: Any dispute related to the election of the President is taken up by the Supreme Court which has original jurisdiction in this case.
- In this case, SC’s decision is final.
- Note: After the election of the President is declared null and void, the acts done by the President in his office remain valid even after his removal.

Who can vote in the Election of President of India?

The President of India is elected by the Members of an Electoral College consisting of-

From Parliament: The elected members of both Houses of Parliament and
From State Legislature: The elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States.
From UTs: The elected members of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry vide the Constitution (Seventieth Amendment) Act, 1992.

Who can’t vote in the Presidential Election 2022?

The following group of people is not part of the electoral college responsible for electing the President of India:

From Parliament: Nominated Members of Lok Sabha (2) and Rajya Sabha (12)
From State Legislatures: Nominated Members of State Legislative Assemblies
- Members of Legislative Councils (Both elected and nominated) in bicameral legislatures
From UTs: Nominated Members of union territories of Delhi and Puducherry.