ECI Election To The Office Of President Of India 2022

Organisation : Election Commission of India
Election Name : Election to the Office of President of India, 2022
Website : https://eci.gov.in/files/file/14210-election-to-the-office-of-president-of-india-2022-16th-presidential-election/

President Election of India

1. The term of office of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, is ending on 24th July, 2022. As per Article 62 of the Constitution of India, an election to fill the vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of the outgoing President is required to be completed before the expiration of the term.

2. Article 324 of the Constitution read with the Presidential and Vice – Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the Presidential and Vice – Presidential Elections Rules, 1974 vests the superintendence, direction and control of the conduct of election to the office of the President of India in the Election Commission of India.

Related / Similar Facilities : CEO Andhra Pradesh Registration of Electors / Voters With Disabilities

Electoral College of India

As per the Article 54 of the Constitution of India, the President is elected by the members of the Electoral College consisting of:
** elected members of both Houses of Parliament, and
** elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of all States including National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

1. (The nominated members of either Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha or Legislative Assemblies of the States are not eligible to be included in the Electoral College and therefore, they are not entitled to participate in the election. Similarly, members of the Legislative Councils are also not electors for the Presidential election).

2. Article 55 (3) of the Constitution provides that the election shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot. In this system, the elector has to mark preferences against the names of the candidates.

3. For marking the vote, the Commission will supply particular pens. The pen will be given to the electors in the polling station by the designated official when the ballot paper is handed over. Electors have to mark the ballot only with this particular pen and not with any other pen. Voting by using any other pen shall lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting.

4. The Election Commission, in consultation with the Central Government, appoints the Secretary General of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, by rotation, as the Returning Officer. Accordingly, the Secretary General, Rajya Sabha will be appointed as the Returning Officer for the present election to the Office of the President.

5. The Commission has also decided to appoint Assistant Returning Officers in all State capitals, including NCT of Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry, for making arrangements for conducting the poll and for transportation of the ballot boxes and other important election materials to and from the Election Commission.

6. As per Rule 7 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules 1974, poll for the election will be taken in the Parliament House and in the premises of State Legislative Assemblies, including the Legislative Assemblies of NCT of Delhi and Puducherry where Legislative Assembly meets for transaction of business.

Schedule of the President election

1. As per the Schedule of the election, the nomination paper of a candidate must be delivered to the Returning Officer at New Delhi in the place to be specified by him by a public notice that will be issued by him (in Form-1 appended to the Presidential and Vice- Presidential Elections, Rules, 1974), and at no other place.

** Under the law, nomination (in prescribed Form 2) can be filed either by the candidate himself or by any of his proposers or seconders between 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.Nomination cannot be filed on public holidays.

** A nomination paper of a candidate has to be subscribed by at least fifty electors as proposers and by at least other fifty electors as seconders.

** An elector can subscribe to only one nomination paper of a candidate as either a proposer or a seconder and is governed by Section 5B (5) of the Presidential and Vice- Presidential Elections Act, 1952.

** A candidate can file maximum of four nomination papers. The security deposit for the election is Rs. 15,000/- (Rupees fifteen thousand only), which is required to be made along with the nomination paper, or should be deposited in Reserve Bank of India or a Govt. Treasury under the relevant Head of Accounts for the purpose, prior to filing of nomination.

2. As per Rule 40 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, the Commission shall maintain a list of members of the electoral college referred to in Article 54 with their correct up to date addresses, for the purpose of Presidential election.

** The list of members of the Electoral College maintained by the Commission for the Presidential Election, 2022, would be available for sale @ Rs. 300/- per copy from the counter opened in the premises of Election Commission of India.

** A copy of the Electoral College is also being uploaded on the Commission’s website. However, the said list will be updated after filling of the 55 vacancies in the ongoing Council of States elections, whose terms are expiring before the date of poll for Presidential Elections.

** Similarly, it will be updated after the results of the bye-elections in some State Legislative Assemblies. Therefore, Supplementary list(s) to the Electoral College will be published, as and when required.

3. Each contesting candidate can authorize a representative to be present in each place of polling and at the place fixed for counting (counting hall). Authorization of representatives for this purpose shall be made by the candidate, in writing.

4. Normally, Members of Parliament are expected to cast their votes at the place of polling in the Parliament House, New Delhi. Similarly, Members of State Legislative Assemblies are expected to vote at the respective State Legislative Assembly. However, on account of any exigency or special circumstances, the Members of Parliament can vote in any of the approved places of polling in the Legislative Assemblies of States/NCT of Delhi/UT of Puducherry.

5. The Constitution has expressly provided that election to the office of President shall be by secret ballot. Therefore, the electors are expected to scrupulously maintain secrecy of vote. There is no concept of open voting in this election and showing the ballot to anyone under any circumstances in the case of Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections is totally prohibited.

Counting of President Election votes

1. Counting of votes will be held in New Delhi under the supervision of the Returning Officer. On completion of counting, Return of Election (in Form 7 appended to the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974) will be signed and issued by the Returning Officer.

2. In pursuance of sub–section (1) of section (4) of the Presidential and Vice- Presidential Elections Act, 1952, the Election Commission of India has fixed the schedule for the election to fill the office of the President of India as given in Appendix-III.

3. All available material in this Press Note is being uploaded on Commission’s website. The Commission has brought out a comprehensive booklet covering all aspects of election to the office of the President and copies of the publication can be obtained @ Rs. 25/- per copy from the Commission’s sale counter or from the offices of the Chief Electoral Officers in different States and Union Territories.