The election commission of India on Wednesday issued a notification for the president’s election. The term of president Pranab Mukherjee ends on July 24.
Efforts are on to find a mutually acceptable presidential candidate. BJP chief Amit Shah has formed a three-member panel to hold consultations.
Here are a few salient features of the president’s election.
1. The president is elected by the representatives of the people through an electoral college, which consists of the elected members of both houses of parliament and the elected members of the legislative assemblies of the states including Delhi and the Puducherry.
2. The constitution stipulates that there shall be uniformity, as far as practicable, in the scale of representation of the different states at the election. For securing such uniformity, a formula based on the population of each state is given in the constitution for determination of the value of vote, which each elected member of parliament and of the legislative assembly of each state is entitled to cast.
3. A nomination paper of a candidate for the election has to be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and at least 50 electors as seconders.
4. The president shall hold office for a term of 5 years from the date on which he/she enters upon office. He/she shall, however, continue to hold office notwithstanding the expiry of their term, until the successor enters upon the office.
5. The notification for president’s election can be issued by the election commission on or after the sixtieth day before the expiry of the term of office of the outgoing president. The election schedule shall be so fixed, that the president elect is able to enter upon his office on the day following the expiry of the term of the outgoing president.
6. Under Article 324 of the constitution, the authority to conduct elections to the office of president is vested in the Election Commission of India.
7. The election of the president shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot.
A candidate should satisfy the following requirements to contest the election to the office of president:
1. Must be a citizen of India.
2. Must have completed 35 years of age.
3. Must be eligible to be a member of the Lok Sabha.
4. Must not hold any office of profit under the government of India or the government of any state or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said governments
