The tenure of the current Indian President is set to come to an end in July 2022, thereby paving the way for the 16th Indian Presidential Election. This significant event in the country’s political landscape calls for an in-depth understanding of the Constitutional Provisions implicated in election and impeachment of the President, followed by the setup of the Electoral College, the examination of vote value and finally, the process of impeachment.
Election Commission and Constitutional Provisions
With the Election Commission of India at the helm, the President’s selection takes place through an electoral college system involving national and state-level lawmakers. The Electoral College consists of the elected members of both Upper and Lower Houses of the Parliament and Legislative Assemblies at the State and Union Territory levels. Key Constitutional Provisions include articles pertaining to election and re-election procedures, term and qualifications.
Nomination and Voting Procedure
Proceeding to the nomination phase, potential candidates are required to file their nominations along with a minimum of 50 proposers and seconders drawn out from the said Electoral College. This practice was put into action in 1974 by the Election Commission due to an influx of hopeless competitors contesting in the polls.
Vote Value Calculation
An intriguing characteristic of this popular election is that each vote cast by an MP or MLA doesn’t equate to one vote. The fixed vote value for MPs from both houses stands at 700. The case is slightly different for MLAs as their vote value varies by state, dependent on a calculation taking into account the state’s population against its Legislative Assembly’s size. The Constitution, as per the Eighty-fourth Amendment Act 2001, currently bases the population figures on the 1971 Census, which will be revised post-2026 Census.
Victory Determination
In order to secure a victory, the nominated candidate needs to bag a specific quota of votes, which should be more than 50% of total votes polled. The votes are cast through paper ballots wherein voters are to list the candidates in order of preference. This system leverages proportional representation and follows a single transferable vote model, maintaining secrecy throughout.
Impeachment Process
As per Article 61, the President can be impeached prematurely, but only on grounds of violation of the constitution. The impeachment proceedings can be commenced from any parliamentary house citing charges against the President. The resolution to impeach should be agreed upon by a two-thirds majority in the initiating house. Subsequently, the resolution is forwarded to the other house for investigation. At this stage, the President is allowed to defend himself through authorized counsel.
Previous Year Questions For UPSC Civil Services Examination
A previous year’s question for reference: “With reference to the election of the President of India, consider the following statements: The value of the vote of each MLA varies from State to State. The value of the vote of MPs of the Lok Sabha is more than the value of the vote of MPs of the Rajya Sabha. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2.” The correct answer was (a).
