The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India. The President is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Although the president is vested such powers by the Constitution of India, the position is largely a ceremonial role and the executive powers are de facto exercised by the Cabinet Ministers and Prime Minister.

The post of President is known in Hindi as Rashtrapati, a Sanskrit neologism meaning “lord of the realm”. The President is elected by the Electoral College composed of elected members of the parliament houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and also members of the Vidhan Sabha, the state legislative assemblies.

Sl No. President Duration
1 Dr. Rajendra Prasad 26 January 1950 – 13 May 1962
2 Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan 13 May 1962 – 13 May 1967
3 Dr. Zakir Husain 13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969
4 Shri Varahagiri Venkata Giri 3 May 1969 – 20 July 1969 and24 August 1969 – 24 August 1974
5 Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed 24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977
6 Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 25 July 1977 – 25 July 1982
7 Giani Zail Singh 25 July 1982 – 25 July 1987
8 Shri R Venkataraman 25 July 1987 – 25 July 1992
9 Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma 25 July 1992 – 25 July 1997
10 Shri K. R. Narayanan 25 July 1997 – 25 July 2002
11 DR. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007
12 Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil 25 July 2007 – 25 July 2012
13 Shri Pranab Mukherjee 25 July 2012 – Incumbent