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A clear guide to Articles 54 to 62, the single transferable vote and the road to the 2027 election
The President of India is the constitutional head of the Union and the supreme commander of the armed forces. Unlike the Prime Minister, the President is not chosen through a direct public vote. Instead, the President is elected indirectly by an electoral college under Article 54 of the Constitution.
President Droupadi Murmu, India's 15th President, took office on July 25, 2022. Because the term is five years, the next presidential election is due in 2027.
Under Article 54, the electoral college consists of:
Nominated members of Parliament and assemblies, and members of Legislative Councils, do not vote.
A candidate must:
Under the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, a nomination must be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and 50 as seconders, and a security deposit of ₹15,000 is required.
The Constitution seeks uniformity among states and parity between states and the Union.
Value = (Population of the state ÷ Number of elected MLAs) ÷ 1,000
The population figure used is from the 1971 Census, frozen until after the first census taken after 2026 under the 84th Amendment. This is why an MLA from Uttar Pradesh carries a much larger vote value than one from Sikkim.
Value = Total value of all MLA votes ÷ Total number of elected MPs
In the 2022 election, each MP's vote was valued at 700.
Party whips do not apply in presidential elections, since voting is secret.
Doubts and disputes about a presidential election are decided exclusively by the Supreme Court (Article 71).
The Constitution's framers chose a parliamentary system in which real executive power lies with the Council of Ministers. A directly elected President might claim a rival popular mandate. An indirect election with representation from both Parliament and states also reflects India's federal structure.
No. Only elected members of Parliament and of state and specified Union Territory assemblies vote.
Because vote value is based on each state's population per MLA, using the 1971 Census.
President Murmu's term ends in July 2027, so an election is due before then.
The Chief Justice of India, or in their absence the senior-most Supreme Court judge.
India's presidential election balances population, federalism and parliamentary democracy through a carefully weighted electoral college. Understanding vote values and the single transferable vote explains why the process is both indirect and representative.
