All about Indian President

Election of the President

• HOW IS THE PRISIDENT OF INDIA ELECTED?: The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of of both houses of Parliament and state legislative assemblies.Since the presidential elections of 1997,these include the assemblies of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and Union Territtory of Pondicherry.Only elected members form part of the electoral college ,not those nominated to any of the legislative bodies.For the Presidential elections there are thus a total of 4,896 potential electors,consisting of 543 Lok Sabha members,233 Rajya Sabha members and 4120 MLAs.
  
  
• HOW ARE THE NUMBER OF VOTES IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE DETERMINED?: The constitution lays down the formula to determine the number of votes each elector commands.The basic principle governing it is of proportional representation.Thus ,the attempt is to ensure thateach legislatore's votes reflect the population he actually represents.This is how it is done.The population of each state is divided by 1000 and then by the number of elected MLAs in the assembly to yieldthe value of each MLA's votes from that state.For example ,the value of each Utter Pradesh MLA's vote would be equal to the population of the state-83.85 million -divided by 1000 and then by 403,the number of MLAsin UP,to give 208.A similar calculation shows that the value of each Sikkim MLA's vote equals just 7.In all,the MLAs of all assemblies put together have 549,474 votes in the electoral college.The system also tries to ensure a balance between the value of votes of MPs and state legislators.Hence the next part of the formula takes this number-549,474-and divides it by the total number of elected MPs,which is 776,to work out the the value of each MP;s votes.This after rounding off yields a figure of 708 votes per MP.Hence the total value of all MPs votes equals 708 multiplied by 776 which is 549,408.The grand total of votes in the electoral college thus adds up to 1,098,882,a little over a million.
  
  
• WHICH IS THE POPULATION TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: The population figure is the relevant census tally under the constittution.However,since the 1974 presidential elections,the 1971 census has formed the basis or the calculation.This is because delimitation of parliamentary constituencies has been frozen since that time.Ensuring proportional representation,therefore meant freezing population statistics too.
  
  
• DOES THE CANDIDATE WITH HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTES WIN?: Not quite.What is used is the 'single transferable vote'.That is each elector marks his ordered preference for the candidates in the fray.At the first count only the first preference votes are tallied.If any of the candidates at this stage secures more than the required 'quota' of the votes,he or she wins.The quota is simply one more than half the total valid votes polled by all the candidates put togetger,that is a majority of votes.If no candidate reaches the quota after the first round of counting,the candidate with least votes at that stage is eliminated and the second preference marked by those voting for him are added on to the votes of the relevant candidates.This process is continued with each subsequent round till one of the candidates reaches the 'quota'and is declred he winner.

  The only occasion when second prference votes had to be taken nto account was in 1969 when V.V.Giri led after first round 401,515 votes to Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy's 313,548,but had to wait till all th remaining 13 candidateswere eliminated.when Giri had 420,077 votes to Reddy's 405,427 votes,making the election much closer than the first count suggested.
  
  

Rashtrapati Bhavan

The Rashtrapati Bhavan is the biggest residence of any President in the world.First up,there is the towering Jaipur column,145 feet tall and topped by a bronze lotus from which rises a six pointed glass star,the name of the column comes from the fact that its cost was borne by the Maharaja of Jaipur.Luxury gets a whole new meaning in the Yellow Drawing Room,the Grey Drawing Room and the grand Banquet Hall.Originally built as state Ball room,the Ashoka Hall has a wooden floor with a dance space in the centre.The ceiling of this hall is adorned with an elaborate painting of a royal hunting expedition.

There is also the North Drawing Room,where heads of states are received.Step in to the Durbar Hall and a two-ton chandelier hanging from a height of 33 meters greets you.Once known as Throne Room,this hall now has a simple chair for the President.

If the next President has a green thumb,there is going to be loads to do in his personal garden.Spread over an area of 13 acres and divided in to four parts,The Mughal Garden has a series of ornamental fountains,walls,gazebos and screens combined with scores of trees,flowers and shrubs.A herbal garden has also come up in the recent past.

An insider let it slip that the tubs in the bath room were large enough for the biggest man to soak.And the toilet seats were 3 by 5 feet of teak bench.which revealed the bowl only when lifted.

Recalls Sureshwar Sawhney,ADC to Dr. Rajendra Prasad " The main kitchen was fabulous.We had food you couldn't imagine.All served on exquisite china and silver.

Interestingly,The President doesnot occupy the suites occupied by Viceroys.Instead he occupies one of the guest bedrooms.The first Indian governor general,C.Rajagopalachari,considered the master bedroom too ostentatious for his humble tastes and all Presidents thereafter have followed tradition.Obviously,guests are always welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan-the place has over 350 rooms as compared to the 132 in the White House.

Presidents