New Delhi: As India gets set to get its 14th President, CNN-IBN looks at the tiny, interesting bits of facts surrounding the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the voting process and the post itself.
The President, the Presidential palace, the poll: All about it
- From 1950-2012, there have been 12 Presidents and 3 acting Presidents in India.
- Historically, the ruling party's Presidential nominees have been elected.
- Dr Rajendra Prasad is the only President to have served two consecutive terms.
- In 1969, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi got VV Giri elected instead of official Congress nominee Neelam Sanjiva Reddy by urging members to vote according to their conscience.
- Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the only President in history to have won uncontested.
- The only two Presidents who have polled more than nine lakh votes are KR Narayanan and APJ Abdul Kalam.
- KR Narayanan with 956290 votes and APJ Abdul Kalam with 922884 votes hold the top two positions, respectively, for the highest number of votes polled in a Presidential election till date.
- Between 1987 and 1992, President Venkataraman presided over the change from the one-party era to coalitions and worked with 4 Prime Ministers - Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh, Chandrashekhar and PV Narasimha Rao
- President of India used to receive a salary of Rs 10,000 per month which was increased to Rs 50,000 in 1998 and further revised to Rs 1.5 lakh in 2008.
- Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official residence of the President, has 340 rooms and is the largest Presidential Palace in the world.
- Voting in the Presidential poll is done through secret ballot.
- Party whip is not applicable in Presidential election.
- Anti-defection law cannot be used in a Presidential election even if a member acknowledges that he or she had voted against the party whip.
- Cross-voting can be inferred if a nominee receives less or more votes but individual members' choice cannot be inferred.
- One should not hold an office of profit while running for President, but a minister's post is not considered an office of profit and therefore a minister need not resign while filing nomination.
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