View source for List of presidents of India

{{pp|small=yes}}
{{short description|Heads of state in India since 1950}}
<!-- None is correct - please see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{featured list}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Politics of India}}
{{For|historical heads of state in the Indian Subcontinent|List of heads of state of India}}
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 250
| image1            = Rajendra Prasad (Indian President), signed image for Walter Nash (NZ Prime Minister), 1958 (16017609534).jpg
| width1            = 400
| height1           = 500
| image2            = Zakir Husain, 2nd Vice President of India.jpg
| width2            = 400
| height2           = 500
| image3            = The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil.jpg
| width3            = 400
| height3           = 500
| image4            = President of India Droupadi Murmu official portrait (cropped).jpg
| width4            = 400
| height4           = 500
| footer            = {{bulleted list
 |Top left: [[Rajendra Prasad]] was the first and longest-serving president of India.
 |Top right: [[Zakir Husain]] was the first from a minority religion to become president of India.
 |Bottom left: [[Pratibha Patil]] was the first female president of India.
|Bottom right: [[Droupadi Murmu]] is the youngest president and the first president from a tribal community.}}
}}

The [[president of India]] is the [[head of state]] of the [[India|Republic of India]] and the [[commander-in-chief|supreme commander]] of the [[Indian Armed Forces]]. The president is referred to as the first citizen of India.<ref>{{cite web|title=President Ram Nath Kovind is India's first citizen. Your chances begin only at Number 27|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/president-ram-nath-kovind-is-first-citizen-of-india-you-can-hope-to-be-citizen-number-27/1/1011340.html|website=indiatoday.com|date=26 July 2017 |publisher=Times of India|access-date=19 November 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730214942/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/president-ram-nath-kovind-is-first-citizen-of-india-you-can-hope-to-be-citizen-number-27/1/1011340.html|archive-date=30 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="constitution">{{Cite web|title=The Constitution of India|url=http://lawmin.nic.in/legislative/Art1-242%20(1-88).doc|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205135612/http://lawmin.nic.in/legislative/Art1-242%20(1-88).doc|archive-date=5 February 2009|access-date=4 January 2009|publisher=Ministry of Law and Justice of India|format=.doc}}</ref> Although vested with these powers by the Constitution of India, the position is largely a ceremonial one and executive powers are ''[[de facto]]'' exercised by the [[Prime Minister of India|prime minister]].<ref name="bbc patil">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/07/070725_india_president.shtml |title=India gets first woman president since independence |access-date=30 November 2008 |work=BBC News |date=25 July 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215044650/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/07/070725_india_president.shtml |archive-date=15 February 2009}}</ref>

The president is elected by the [[Electoral College (India)|Electoral College]] composed of elected members of the parliament houses, the [[Lok Sabha]] and the [[Rajya Sabha]], and also members of the [[Vidhan Sabha]], the state legislative assemblies.<ref name="constitution" /> Presidents may remain in office for a tenure of five years, as stated by article 56, part V, of the [[Constitution of India]]. In the case where a president's term of office is terminated early or during the absence of the president, the vice president assumes office. By article 70 of part V, the parliament may decide how to discharge the functions of the president where this is not possible, or in any other unexpected contingency.

There have been 15 presidents of India since the post was established when India was declared as a republic with the adoption of the [[Indian constitution]] in 1950.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/26/newsid_3475000/3475569.stm |title=1950: India becomes a republic |access-date=6 January 2009 |work=BBC News |date=26 January 1950 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117080154/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/26/newsid_3475000/3475569.stm |archive-date=17 January 2008 }}</ref> Apart from these fifteen, three [[Acting (law)|acting]] presidents have also been in office for short periods of time. [[V. V. Giri]] became the acting president in 1969 after [[Zakir Husain]] died in office. Giri was elected president a few months later. He remains the only person to have held office both as a president and acting president. [[Rajendra Prasad]], the first president of India, is the only person to have held office for two terms.<ref name="selecting next">{{Cite news|author=Harish Khare|date=6 December 2006|title=Selecting the next Rashtrapati|location=India|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/06/stories/2006120603561000.htm|url-status=dead|access-date=30 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719030328/http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/06/stories/2006120603561000.htm|archive-date=19 July 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

Seven presidents have been members of a political party before being elected. Six of these were active party members of the [[Indian National Congress]]. The [[Janata Party]] has had one member, [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]], who later became president. Two presidents, [[Zakir Husain]] and [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]], have died in office. Their vice presidents served as acting presidents until a new president was elected. Following Zakir Husain's death, two acting presidents held office until the new president, [[V. V. Giri]], was elected. When Giri resigned to take part in the presidential elections, he was succeeded by [[Mohammad Hidayatullah]] as acting president.<ref name="resign">{{Cite web |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=2ee3bdc7-6ec2-409a-a4d5-48294361d566&MatchID1=4875&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1229&PrimaryID=4875&Headline=Shekhawat+will+not+resign+to+contest+poll |title=Shekhawat will not resign to contest poll |access-date=4 January 2009 |author=Shekhar Iyer |work=Hindustan Times |location=India |date=25 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111180014/http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=2ee3bdc7-6ec2-409a-a4d5-48294361d566&MatchID1=4875&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1229&PrimaryID=4875&Headline=Shekhawat+will+not+resign+to+contest+poll |archive-date=11 January 2009 }}</ref> [[Pratibha Patil]] is the first woman to hold the office, elected in [[2007 Indian presidential election|2007]].

On 25 July [[2022 Indian presidential election|2022]], [[Droupadi Murmu]] took office as the [[president of India]], becoming the second woman and the first tribal person to hold the office.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/newly-elected-president-droupadi-murmu-oath-taking-ceremony-live-updates-july-25/liveblog/93099081.cms|title=Droupadi Murmu oath taking ceremony LIVE updates: Droupadi Murmu takes oath as India's 15th President|newspaper=The Times of India|date=25 July 2022|access-date=25 July 2022|language=en-IN}}</ref>

==List==
This list is numbered based on presidents elected after winning an Indian presidential election. The terms of [[V. V. Giri]], [[Mohammad Hidayatullah]] and [[B. D. Jatti]], who served as acting president are therefore not numbered or counted as actual terms in office. The president of India does not represent any political party.

<!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->

{{Col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Legend
{{legend|{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|[[Indian National Congress]] (INC) (8)|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|{{party color|Janata Party}}"|[[Janata Party]] (JP) (1)|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) (2)|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|{{party color|Independent politician}}"|[[Independent politician|Independent]] (IND) (4)|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|wheat|[[Acting president|Acting President]] (3)|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{{col-2}}
;Key
* {{note label|RES|RES|RES}} Resigned
* {{note label|†|†|†}} Assassinated or died in office
{{col-end}}



{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" |#
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait
! scope="col" width="17%" |Name
! colspan="3" |Term of office<ref>{{Cite web|title=The President of India|url=https://presidentofindia.gov.in/|access-date=2021-10-29|website=presidentofindia.gov.in|language=english}}</ref>
!Election
! scope="col" | Vice president
! colspan="2" scope="col" class="unsortable" | Party
|-
| rowspan="2" |1
| rowspan="2" |[[File:Rajendra Prasad (Indian President), signed image for Walter Nash (NZ Prime Minister), 1958 (16017609534).jpg|93x93px|alt=Rajendra Prasad]]
! rowspan="2" scope="row" |[[Rajendra Prasad]]
| rowspan="2" | 26 January 1950
| rowspan="2" | 13 May 1962
| rowspan="2" |{{age in years and days|1950|01|26|1962|05|13}}
|[[1952 Indian presidential election|1952]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
|[[1957 Indian presidential election|1957]]
|-
 | 2
|[[File: Photograph of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan presented to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962.jpg |97x97px|alt=Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]]
! scope="row" |[[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]]
| 13 May 1962
| 13 May 1967
|{{age in years and days|1962|05|13|1967|05|13}}
|[[1962 Indian presidential election|1962]]
|[[Zakir Husain (politician)|Zakir Husain]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Independent politician|Independent]]
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}" |
|-
| 3
|[[File:Zakir Husain, 2nd Vice President of India.jpg|94x94px]]
! scope="row" |[[Zakir Husain (politician)|Zakir Husain]]<sup>{{Dagger|alt=Died in office}}</sup>
| 13 May 1967
| 3 May 1969
|{{age in years and days|1967|05|13|1969|05|03}}
|[[1967 Indian presidential election|1967]]
|[[V. V. Giri]]
|-
| style="background:wheat;" | –
| style="background:wheat;" |[[File:Varahagiri Venkata Giri, 3rd Vice President of India.jpg|94x94px]]
! scope="row" style="background:wheat;" |[[V. V. Giri]]
| style="background:wheat;" | 3 May 1969
| style="background:wheat;" | 20 July 1969
| style="background:wheat;" |{{age in years and days|1969|05|03|1969|07|20}}
| colspan="4" style="background:wheat;" |{{Endash}}
|-
| style="background:wheat;" | –
| style="background:wheat;" |[[File:Mohammad Hidayatullah, 6th Vice President of India.jpg|94x94px]]
! scope="row" style="background:wheat;" |[[Mohammad Hidayatullah]]
| style="background:wheat;" | 20 July 1969
| style="background:wheat;" | 24 August 1969
| style="background:wheat;" |{{age in years and days|1969|07|20|1969|08|24}}
| colspan="4" style="background:wheat;" |{{Endash}}
|-
| 4
|[[File:Varahagiri Venkata Giri, 3rd Vice President of India.jpg|94x94px]]
! scope="row" |[[V. V. Giri]]
| 24 August 1969
| 24 August 1974
|{{age in years and days|1969|08|24|1974|08|24}}
|[[1969 Indian presidential election|1969]]
|[[Gopal Swarup Pathak]]
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}" |
|-
| 5
|[[File:President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.jpg|100x100px]]
! scope="row" |[[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]]<sup>{{Dagger|alt=Died in office}}</sup>
| 24 August 1974
| 11 February 1977
|{{age in years and days|1974|08|24|1977|02|11}}
|[[1974 Indian presidential election|1974]]
|[[Gopal Swarup Pathak]]
----
[[B. D. Jatti]] 
|[[Indian National Congress]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
| style="background:wheat;" | –
| style="background:wheat;" |[[File:Basappa Danappa Jatti, 5th Vice President of India.jpg|94x94px]]
! scope="row" style="background:wheat;" |[[B. D. Jatti]]
| style="background:wheat;" | 11 February 1977
| style="background:wheat;" | 25 July 1977
| style="background:wheat;" |{{age in years and days|1977|02|11|1977|07|25}}
| colspan="4" style="background:wheat;" |{{Endash}}
|-
| 6
|[[File:Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.jpg|111x111px]]
! scope="row" |[[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]
| 25 July 1977
| 25 July 1982
|{{age in years and days|1977|07|25|1982|07|25}}
|[[1977 Indian presidential election|1977]]
|[[B. D. Jatti]] 
----
[[Mohammad Hidayatullah]] 
|[[Janata Party]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Janata Party}}" |
|-
| 7
|[[File:Giani Zail Singh.jpg|109x109px]]
! scope="row" |[[Zail Singh]]
| 25 July 1982
| 25 July 1987
|{{age in years and days|1982|07|25|1987|07|25}}
|[[1982 Indian presidential election|1982]]
|[[Mohammad Hidayatullah]]
----
[[Ramaswamy Venkataraman]] 
| rowspan="4" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
| 8
|[[File:Ramaswamy Venkataraman (2012 stamp of India) (cropped).jpg|92x92px]]
! scope="row" |[[Ramaswamy Venkataraman]]
| 25 July 1987
| 25 July 1992
|{{age in years and days|1987|07|25|1992|07|25}}
|[[1987 Indian presidential election|1987]]
|[[Shankar Dayal Sharma]]
|-
| 9
|[[File:Shankar Dayal Sharma 36.jpg|103x103px|alt=Shankar Dayal Sharma]]
! scope="row" |[[Shankar Dayal Sharma]]
| 25 July 1992
| 25 July 1997
|{{age in years and days|1992|07|25|1997|07|25}}
|[[1992 Indian presidential election|1992]]
|[[K. R. Narayanan]]
|-
| 10
|[[File:The official portrait of Shri Kocheril Raman Narayanan, 10th President of the Republic of India.png|94x94px]]
! scope="row" |[[K. R. Narayanan]]
| 25 July 1997
| 25 July 2002
|{{age in years and days|1997|07|25|2002|07|25}}
|[[1997 Indian presidential election|1997]]
|[[Krishan Kant]]
|-
| [[Presidency of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam|11]]
|[[File:A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.jpg|89x89px|alt=Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam]]
! scope="row" |[[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]]
| 25 July 2002
| 25 July 2007
|{{age in years and days|2002|07|25|2007|07|25}}
|[[2002 Indian presidential election|2002]]
|[[Krishan Kant]] 
----
[[Bhairon Singh Shekhawat]]
|[[Independent politician|Independent]] 
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent politician}}" |
|-
| [[Presidency of Pratibha Patil|12]]
|[[File:The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil.jpg|105x105px]]
! scope="row" |[[Pratibha Patil]]
| 25 July 2007
| 25 July 2012
|{{age in years and days|2007|07|25|2012|07|25}}
|[[2007 Indian presidential election|2007]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Mohammad Hamid Ansari|Hamid Ansari]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="2"  style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
| [[Presidency of Pranab Mukherjee|13]]
|[[File:Pranab Mukherjee Portrait.jpg|105x105px]]
! scope="row" |[[Pranab Mukherjee]]
| 25 July 2012
| 25 July 2017
|{{age in years and days|2012|07|25|2017|07|25}}
|[[2012 Indian presidential election|2012]]
|-
| [[Presidency of Ram Nath Kovind|14]]
|[[File:The official portrait of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, 14th President of the Republic of India.jpg|90x90px]]
! scope="row" |[[Ram Nath Kovind]]
| 25 July 2017
| 25 July 2022
|{{age in years and days|2017|07|25|2022|07|25}}
|[[2017 Indian presidential election|2017]]
|[[Mohammad Hamid Ansari|Hamid Ansari]]
----
[[Venkaiah Naidu]] 
|rowspan="2"  |[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| rowspan="2"  style="background-color: {{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}" |
|-
|[[Presidency of Droupadi Murmu|15]]
|[[File:Droupadi Murmu POI official portrait.jpg|113x113px]]
!scope="row" |[[Droupadi Murmu]]
|25 July 2022
|''Incumbent''
|{{age in years and days|2022|07|25}}
|[[2022 Indian presidential election|2022]]
|[[Venkaiah Naidu]]
----
[[Jagdeep Dhankhar]]
----
[[C. P. Radhakrishnan]]
|}

==Statistics==
{{Pie chart
 | caption= Representation of presidents by party of candidacy
 | label1 = Indian National Congress
 | value1 = 53.33| color1 = {{party color|Indian National Congress}}
 | label2 = Independent
 | value2 = 26.67| color2 = {{party color|Independent politician}}
 | label3 = Bharatiya Janata Party
 | value3 = 13.33| color3 = {{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}
 | label4 = Janata Party
 | value4 = 6.67| color4 = {{party color|Janata Party}}
 }}

;Timeline
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea  = top:10 bottom:50 right:130 left:20
AlignBars = late

Colors     =
  id:BJP   value:rgb(1,0.6,0.2) legend:BJP
  id:INC   value:rgb(0,0.74902,1) legend:INC
  id:IND   value:gray(0.8) legend:IND
  id:JP    value:blue legend:JP
  id:gray1 value:gray(0.8)

Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/01/1950 till:$today
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:10 start:1950

Legend     = columns:4 left:150 top:24 columnwidth:100

TextData =
  pos:(20,27) textcolor:black fontsize:M
  text:"Political Party:"

BarData =
  barset:PREZ

PlotData=
  width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
  barset:PREZ

 from: 26/01/1950 till: 13/05/1962 color:INC text:"[[Rajendra Prasad|Prasad]]" fontsize:10
 from: 13/05/1962 till: 13/05/1967 color:IND text:"[[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan|Radhakrishnan]]"  fontsize:10
 from: 13/05/1967 till: 03/05/1969 color:IND text:"[[Zakir Husain|Husain]]" fontsize:10
 from: 03/05/1969 till: 20/07/1969 color:IND text:"[[V. V. Giri|Giri]] (acting)" fontsize:10
 from: 20/07/1969 till: 24/08/1969 color:IND text:"[[Mohammad Hidayatullah|Hidayatullah]] (acting)" fontsize:10
 from: 24/08/1969 till: 24/08/1974 color:IND text:"[[V. V. Giri|Giri]]" fontsize:10
 from: 24/08/1974 till: 11/02/1977 color:INC text:"[[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed|Ahmed]]" fontsize:10
 from: 11/02/1977 till: 25/07/1977 color:INC text:"[[B. D. Jatti|Jatti]] (acting)" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/1977 till: 25/07/1982 color:JP text:"[[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy|Reddy]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/1982 till: 25/07/1987 color:INC text:"[[Zail Singh|Singh]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/1987 till: 25/07/1992 color:INC text:"[[Ramaswamy Venkataraman|Venkataraman]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/1992 till: 25/07/1997 color:INC text:"[[Shankar Dayal Sharma|Sharma]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/1997 till: 25/07/2002 color:INC text:"[[K. R. Narayanan|Narayanan]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/2002 till: 25/07/2007 color:IND text:"[[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam|Abdul Kalam]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/2007 till: 25/07/2012 color:INC text:"[[Pratibha Patil|Patil]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/2012 till: 25/07/2017 color:INC text:"[[Pranab Mukherjee|Mukherjee]]" fontsize:10
 from: 25/07/2017 till: 25/07/2022 color:BJP text:"[[Ram Nath Kovind|Kovind]]" fontsize:10
 from: 26/07/2022 till:end color:BJP text:"[[Droupadi Murmu|Murmu]]" fontsize:10
}}

==See also==
* [[President of India]]
* [[Vice President of India]]
* [[Prime Minister of India]]
* [[List of vice presidents of India]]
* [[List of prime ministers of India]]
* [[List of heads of state and government of Indian origin]]

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official|http://presidentofindia.nic.in/|Official website of the President of India}}

{{Presidents of India}}
{{Union ministries of India}}
{{Government of India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:President of India}}
[[Category:Presidents of India|*]]
[[Category:Lists relating to the Indian presidency| ]]
[[Category:India government-related lists]]
[[Category:Lists of political office-holders in India]]
[[Category:Lists of national presidents|India]]