The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of the Republic of India. The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of the Parliament of India and the legislative assemblies of the states of India, and serves a five-year term.
To be eligible for the office of President, a person must meet the following qualifications:
Citizenship: The candidate must be a citizen of India.
Age: The candidate must be at least 35 years old.
Qualification: The candidate must be qualified to be a member of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Parliament of India). This means that the candidate must be a citizen of India, must be at least 25 years old, and must not be subject to any disqualifications specified in the Constitution of India or other laws.
Office of profit: The candidate must not hold any office of profit under the Union or a state government, or any local or other authority subject to the control of any of these governments.
Residence: The candidate must have been a resident of India for at least ten years prior to the date of nomination.
In addition to these qualifications, there are also certain disqualifications that apply to the office of President. These include being a member of a legislative body, holding an office of profit under the government of India or a state government, and being of unsound mind or bankrupt.
The process of electing the President of India begins with the issuance of a notification by the Election Commission of India. This notification sets out the schedule for the election, including the date for the issue of the notification, the last date for filing nominations, the date for the scrutiny of nominations, the date for withdrawal of candidature, and the date for the poll, if necessary.
Candidates for the office of President must file their nominations with the Returning Officer at the Secretariat of the Election Commission of India. The nominations must be accompanied by a security deposit and a list of proposers and seconders, who must also be eligible to vote in the election. The nominations are then scrutinized by the Returning Officer to ensure that the candidate meets all of the eligibility requirements and is not disqualified from holding the office.
If the number of validly nominated candidates is equal to or less than the number of vacancies, the Returning Officer declares the candidates elected without a poll. If there are more validly nominated candidates than vacancies, a poll is held and the candidate who receives the highest number of votes is declared elected.
In conclusion, the eligibility requirements for the office of President of India are designed to ensure that the head of state is a person of good character and integrity, who is qualified to represent the country at the highest level and discharge the duties and responsibilities of the office effectively.
