List of heads of state of India
This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of India |
---|
India portal |
This is a list of the heads of state of India, from the independence of India in 1947 to the present day. The current head of state of India is Ram Nath Kovind, elected in 2017 after being nominated by BJP, the party run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
From 1947 to 1950 the head of state under the Indian Independence Act 1947 was King of India,[1][2] who was also the monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Dominions of the British Commonwealth. The monarch was represented in India by a governor-general. India became a republic under the Constitution of 1950 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial president.
Monarch (1947–1950)
The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.
№ | Monarch (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Reign | Royal House | Prime Minister | Governor General | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign start | Reign end | ||||||
1 | George VI (1895–1952) |
15 August 1947 | 26 January 1950 | Windsor | Nehru | Mountbatten (1947–1948) | |
Rajagopalachari (1948–1950) |
Governor-General
The Governor-General was the representative of the Monarch in India and exercised most of the powers of the Monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the Monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of India without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.
№ | Governor-General (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Tenure | Monarch | Prime Minister | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | |||||
1 | The Rt. Hon. The Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979) |
15 August 1947 | 21 June 1948 | George VI | Nehru | |
2 | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878–1972) |
21 June 1948 | 26 January 1950 |
President of India
Under the Constitution, of the Republic of India, the president replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The president is elected by the Electoral College for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the vice-president serves as acting president.
- Status
Standards
-
Badge of Monarch of India (1947–1950)
-
Governor-General's Standard (1947–1950)
-
Presidential Standard (1950–1971)
Living former heads of state
There is only one living former Indian head of state:
Image | Name | Term/reign | Office | Date of birth |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pratibha Patil | 2007–2012 | President of India | 19 December 1934 |
References
- ^ The Contemporary Commonwealth: An Assessment 1965-2009, Taylor & Francis, 2009, p. 22, ISBN 9781135238308,
On independence in 1947, George VI became 'King of India' until the adoption of republican status in 1950.
- ^ Jawaharlal Nehru (1991), Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: 21 June to 15 August 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, p. 363,
King George was in effect King of India and it was as such that he functioned as the Head of the Indian State. He did not function in India as the King of England.
- ^ Was Chief Justice of India