Political calculations, element of surprise & strategy: Who will be India's next President?

The discussion on who will be India’s next President has taken centre stage. Presidential elections have drawn tremendous interest since the emergence of a competitive party system where different parties are in power at the centre and in the states.

With the formal announcement by the Election Commission of the schedule for the election of the President of India, the discussion on who will be the next first citizen of the country has come to centre stage. Presidential elections have always drawn tremendous interest, especially since the emergence of a competitive party system with different parties being in power at the centre and in the states.

The Office of the President has largely been a position of influence rather than power.

A former President of India, R Venkataraman, rightly defined the office as an ‘Emergency lamp’ that ‘lights up’ during times of political uncertainty. The role of the President has increasingly come into focus when no party gets a clear majority in the Lok Sabha or who has a majority remains unclear.

Presidents R Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma and KR Narayanan all handled such situations. Each of them dealt with the situation differently and this has been the focus of discussion and debate.

Prime Ministers and ruling parties/coalitions at the centre have given considerable thought to the nomination of their candidates for the Presidency. Presidential elections have often been a matter of formality, though the opposition has often put up a candidate for a symbolic fight.

The one election which invited a lot of attention was the 1969 election of V V Giri as the President. This election coincided with a split in the Congress party. The official nominee of the Congress, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, was defeated. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had backed V V Giri and called for a ‘conscience vote’.

Also Read: Presidential polls to be held on July 18, results on July 21