List of Presidents of India: NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is presently elected as the new President of India on 21st July 2022. A president acts as the nominal head of the government, follows the advise of the Prime Minister (Council of Minister). The president in India is the head of the state but can not utilize powers. Dr. Rajandra Prasad was the very first president of India while the current President of India is Draupadi Murmu. She has been elected after the finishing of the working period of Shri Ram Nath Kovind. In this article below we have provided a list of presidents of India from 1950 to current. Have a look at the below section to get details about the same.
List of Presidents of India Eligibility Criteria
As per the Article 58 of the Indian Constitution, a candidate needs to satisfy a few conditions to be eligible for the election of the president. These include:
- A candidate has to be a citizen of India and he / she must be over than 35 years of age.
- A candidate should be qualified for election as a member of the Lok Sabha.
- He/ she must not hold any office of profit under the State Government, Union, and other local authorities.
List of Presidents of India from 1950 to Current
Droupadi Murmu (2022- Incumbent)
The current president of the Republic of India is Droupadi Murmu and she was elected on 21st July 2022. She is the 15th President of India who was elected after Shri Ram Nath Kovind. She joined the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in the year 1997 and became the Chairperson of Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat in the year 2000.
Shri Ram Nath Kovind (2017- 2022)
Shri Ram Nath Kovind served as the 14th President of India and was elected on 25 July 2017 till 21st July 2022. He was the first Indian Politician from Uttar Pradesh to serve as President of India. Formerly, he served as the Governor of Bihar. He has been an passionate supporter of equality in integrity and society in public life.
Pranab Mukherjee (2012- 2017)
Pranab Mukherjee was a government official and Indian politician who served as the 13th President of India from the year 2012 to 2017. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 84 on 31 August 2020, after battling a long illness. A veteran in Indian politics, he had the rare difference of having served as Defence, Foreign, Finance and Commerce Minister at different times over his long political career.
Pratibha Patil (2007- 2012)
Pratibha Patil was the first woman who was elected as a president of India. She was the 12th President of India who served from 2007 to 2012. Before she was elected as a president, Pratibha Patil served as the governor of Rajasthan from the year 2004 to 2007. She was the deputy chairperson from 1986 to 1988 in the Rajya Sabha and also appointed as the chairperson when Dr. R. Venkataraman served as the President of India.
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2002- 2007)
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was a very renowned Indian aerospace scientist who was elected as the 11th President of India from the year 2002 to 2007. Kalam was born October 15, 1931 in Rameswaram, India and died on July 27, 2015 in Shillong. He was a Indian scientist and Indian politician who played a great role in the development of India’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Kocheril Raman Narayanan (1997- 2002)
Kocheril Raman Narayanan also served as the president of India from the year 1997 to 2002. He was a member of Parliament from the Ottapalam constituency and acted as the same for three successive tenures (1984, 1989 and 1991). In the year 1985, he was elected as the Minister for State in the Rajiv Gandhi government. In the year 1992, he served as the Vice-President of India and later, in the year 1997, he was appointed to the highest office of the President of India. Narayanan was the first Dalit to possess high office of the President of India.
Shankar Dayal Sharma (1992- 1997)
Shankar Dayal Sharma was elected as the 9th President of India and he served from the year 1992 to 1997. He was Chief Minister of the former Bhopal State (from April 1952 to November 1956), Cabinet Minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh possessing the portfolios of Commerce and Industry, Public Works, Law, Education, National Resources and Separate Revenue (1950- 1967). He was also appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh (from 29th August 1984 to 25th November 1985) and Governor of Punjab (from 26th November 1985 to 2nd April 1986).
Ramaswamy Venkataraman (1987- 1992)
In the year 1987, Venkataraman became the 8th President of India. He served as a President of India till the year 1992. He was also awarded with Tamra Patra from India and Soviet Land Prize from Russia for his outstanding works.
Giani Zail Singh (1982- 1987)
The Chief Minister of Punjab (Giani Zail Singh) was elected as India’s President in the year 1982. Singh’s 5 years tenure brought red-letter days like Anti Sikh Riot, Operation Blue Star, Indira Gandhi’s assassination, etc.
Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy (1977-1982)
Reddy was the first President to be appointed unopposed. From the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, he was chosen as the president and remained the same until 1982.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974-1977)
After Hussain, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the second President to die while still in position. He served as the president for a tenure of 3 years, from year 1974 to 1977.
Varahagiri Venkata Giri (1969-1974)
He was appointed in year 1969 till 1974. Giri was the only independent person who elected as the President of India. He also received Bharat Ratna in the year 1975.
Dr Zakir Hussain (1967-1969)
Dr Zakir Hussain was the first muslim who was appointed as the President of India. He served till 2 years until the year 1969 and died while serving the post. Previously, he was the Governor of Bihar too.
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1962-1967)
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the man whose birthday is observed and celebrated as the Teachers’ Day. He served as the second President of India. His tenure last from year 1962 to 1967. He also received Bharat Ratna for his works.
Dr Rajendra Prasad (1950-1962)
The very first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad acted as the same for two consecutive terms from 1950 to 1962. Indian Independence Movement was introduced by him only. He was awarded with Bharat Ratna in the year 1962.