The Presidents of India

The post of the President is a largely ceremonial in India, as the executive is governed by the Prime Minister's office. However at times of national crisis (the President is the chief of all armed forces), the decisions the President takes are very important for the future of India.

In the history of India since independence, the President of India  is yet to make an impact with a bold and strategic decision. However, the inability of the successive presidents to lead the country has led to unstable governments, imposition of Emergency, and  general dilution of the post of the President. The President's office is often abused by the warring politicians who engineer political instability by switching political parties, when an interim "President's Rule" is enforced, paving way for fresh elections.

-- Vikas Kamat

List of Presidents of India

• Babu Rajendra Prasad (served during 1950-62)
• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1962-67)
• Zakir Husain (1967-69)
• Varahagiri Venkat Giri (1969-74)
• Fakruddin Ali Ahmad (1974-77)
• Neelam Sanjiv Reddy (1977-82)
• Giani Zail Singh (1982-87)
• R. Venkataraman (1987-1992)
• Shankar Dayal Sharma (1992-1997)
• K.R. Narayan (1997-2002)
• A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2002-2007)
• Pratibha Patil (2007-)

See Also:

• Prime Ministers of India
• Presidents of Indian National Congress