The presidents of India list is one of the most consistently tested topics across UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, Banking, Railways, and State PSC exams.
India has had 15 Presidents since Dr. Rajendra Prasad took office as the first President in 1950. From scientists and diplomats to freedom fighters and India\u2019s first woman and first tribal President, this page gives you a complete, updated list with tenures, notable firsts, and exam-critical facts for focused, confident revision.
⚡ Quick Facts
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad was India\u2019s first President (1950\u20131962) and the only President to serve two full terms.
- Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2002\u20132007) is known as the \u201cMissile Man of India\u201d and the \u201cPeople\u2019s President.\u201d
- Pratibha Patil (2007\u20132012) was India\u2019s first woman President.
- Droupadi Murmu (2022\u2013present) is India\u2019s first tribal President and the second woman President.
- Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (1977\u20131982) was the only President elected unopposed.
Students confuse the order of India\u2019s \u201cfirsts\u201d among Presidents. Droupadi Murmu is the FIRST TRIBAL but SECOND WOMAN President (Pratibha Patil was first, 2007). Also: Zakir Husain was the FIRST to die in office; Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the SECOND. K.R. Narayanan was the FIRST DALIT President; Ram Nath Kovind was the second. Never mix up these pairs.
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🇮🇳 Complete List of Presidents of India
| # ↕ | President ↕ | Tenure (from) ↕ | Full Tenure | Party / Background | State of Origin ↕ | Notable First / Key Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | 1950 | 26 Jan 1950 \u2013 13 May 1962 | INC | Bihar | First President; only to serve two full terms |
| 2 | Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 1962 | 13 May 1962 \u2013 13 May 1967 | INC (supported) | Tamil Nadu | Philosopher-statesman; birthday (5 Sep) = Teachers\u2019 Day |
| 3 | Dr. Zakir Husain | 1967 | 13 May 1967 \u2013 3 May 1969 | INC (supported) | Uttar Pradesh | First Muslim President; first to die in office |
| 4 | V.V. Giri | 1969 | 24 Aug 1969 \u2013 24 Aug 1974 | Independent | Odisha | Only President elected as independent; also served as Acting President (3 May \u2013 20 Jul 1969) before winning election |
| 5 | Muhammad Hidayatullah | 1969 | 20 Jul 1969 \u2013 24 Aug 1969 | Acting President | Uttar Pradesh | Acting President only; also served as CJI and Vice-President |
| 6 | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | 1974 | 24 Aug 1974 \u2013 11 Feb 1977 | INC | Assam | Second President to die in office; signed Emergency Proclamation (1975) |
| 7 | B.D. Jatti | 1977 | 11 Feb 1977 \u2013 25 Jul 1977 | Acting President | Karnataka | Acting President after Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed\u2019s death |
| 8 | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | 1977 | 25 Jul 1977 \u2013 25 Jul 1982 | Janata Party | Andhra Pradesh | First Janata Party President; only President elected unopposed |
| 9 | Giani Zail Singh | 1982 | 25 Jul 1982 \u2013 25 Jul 1987 | INC | Punjab | First Sikh President of India |
| 10 | R. Venkataraman | 1987 | 25 Jul 1987 \u2013 25 Jul 1992 | INC | Tamil Nadu | Swore in 3 Prime Ministers \u2014 Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar |
| 11 | Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma | 1992 | 25 Jul 1992 \u2013 25 Jul 1997 | INC | Madhya Pradesh | Former Vice-President; administered oath to PM Narasimha Rao and H.D. Deve Gowda |
| 12 | K.R. Narayanan | 1997 | 25 Jul 1997 \u2013 25 Jul 2002 | INC (supported) | Kerala | First Dalit President of India |
| 13 | Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | 2002 | 25 Jul 2002 \u2013 25 Jul 2007 | Independent (NDA) | Tamil Nadu | \u201cMissile Man of India\u201d; scientist; \u201cPeople\u2019s President\u201d |
| 14 | Pratibha Patil | 2007 | 25 Jul 2007 \u2013 25 Jul 2012 | INC | Maharashtra | First woman President of India |
| 15 | Pranab Mukherjee | 2012 | 25 Jul 2012 \u2013 25 Jul 2017 | INC | West Bengal | Longest-serving Finance Minister before Presidency; Bharat Ratna (2019) |
| 16 | Ram Nath Kovind | 2017 | 25 Jul 2017 \u2013 25 Jul 2022 | BJP | Uttar Pradesh | Second Dalit President; former Governor of Bihar |
| 17 | Droupadi Murmu | 2022 | 25 Jul 2022 \u2013 present | BJP | Odisha | First tribal (Adivasi) President; second woman President |
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📝 Key Notes & Memory Tips
Dr. Rajendra Prasad is the ONLY President to have served two complete terms (1950\u20131962). All other Presidents served one full term of 5 years or died in office. He was also the President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution. His two-term record is a near-certain exam question.
Two Presidents died in office: Dr. Zakir Husain (3 May 1969 \u2014 the FIRST) and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (11 Feb 1977 \u2014 the SECOND). After Zakir Husain\u2019s death, V.V. Giri (then VP) first became Acting President, then resigned to contest the election \u2014 after which Muhammad Hidayatullah (then Chief Justice of India) served as Acting President (20 Jul\u201324 Aug 1969) until Giri was sworn in as elected President. B.D. Jatti served as Acting President after Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed\u2019s death in 1977.
The most heavily tested cluster in all exams:
- First President: Dr. Rajendra Prasad
- First Muslim President: Dr. Zakir Husain
- First Sikh President: Giani Zail Singh
- First Dalit President: K.R. Narayanan
- First Woman President: Pratibha Patil
- First Tribal President: Droupadi Murmu
- Only President elected unopposed: Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the most popular President in public memory. He was a missile scientist (DRDO/ISRO), known for the Agni and Prithvi missile programmes. He is the only President who was unanimously proposed by the opposition as well. He died on 27 July 2015 while delivering a lecture at IIM Shillong.
The term of office of the President is 5 years (Article 56). The President is elected by an Electoral College comprising elected members of both Houses of Parliament AND elected members of State Legislative Assemblies (and Delhi & Puducherry). Nominated members do NOT vote. The election uses Single Transferable Vote (STV) with proportional representation.
\u201cRajendra Radhakrishnan Zakir Venkata Fakhruddin\u201d
R = Rajendra Prasad | R = Radhakrishnan | Z = Zakir Husain | V = V.V. Giri | F = Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
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Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India, serving from 26 January 1950 to 13 May 1962. He is the only President to have served two full consecutive terms. He was also the President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Indian Constitution.
Pratibha Patil served as India\u2019s first woman President from 25 July 2007 to 25 July 2012. Droupadi Murmu (2022\u2013present) is the second woman President and the first tribal President of India.
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who served as the 13th President of India (2002\u20132007), was a renowned aerospace scientist known as the \u201cMissile Man of India\u201d for his key role in developing India\u2019s Agni and Prithvi missile programmes at DRDO and ISRO.
Dr. Zakir Husain, India\u2019s third President, was the first President to die in office on 3 May 1969 \u2014 before completing his term. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the second President to die in office (1977).
Droupadi Murmu, who took office as India\u2019s 15th President on 25 July 2022, is the first tribal (Adivasi) President of India and the second woman President after Pratibha Patil (2007\u20132012). She belongs to the Santali tribal community from Odisha.
✅ Key Takeaways
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Droupadi Murmu is the current (15th) President of India, having assumed office on 25 July 2022. She is the first tribal (Adivasi) President and the second woman President of India. She belongs to the Santali tribal community from Mayurbhanj district in Odisha. Before becoming President, she served as the Governor of Jharkhand (2015\u20132021).
India has had 15 Presidents since 26 January 1950 when the Constitution came into force. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first and served two full terms (1950\u20131962). Two Presidents \u2014 Dr. Zakir Husain (1969) and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1977) \u2014 died in office, requiring Acting Presidents to fill the gap. The current President, Droupadi Murmu, took office in July 2022.
Dr. Zakir Husain was the first Muslim President of India, serving from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969 \u2014 making him also the first President to die in office. He was a renowned educationist and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1963. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974\u20131977) was the second Muslim President of India, and he was also the second President to die in office.
The list of Indian Presidents is one of the most consistently tested topics in UPSC Prelims (Polity and Current Affairs), SSC CGL, Banking General Awareness, Railway, and all State PSC exams. Frequently tested areas include the first and current President, notable firsts (first woman, first Muslim, first Sikh, first Dalit, first tribal), Presidents who died in office, Rajendra Prasad\u2019s two-term record, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam\u2019s scientific background, the only President elected unopposed (Neelam Sanjiva Reddy), and the constitutional provisions governing Presidential elections (Articles 54, 55, 56).
