President of India is known as the first citizen of the country. He is the official head of the Indian state and the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces.
At the same time, vice-President is Rajya Sabha’s ex- officio chairman. India has 14 presidents and 13 Vice-presidents till now.
The president of India is elected by an electoral college that includes the members of both houses of the Parliament. Likewise, the vice president of India is also elected.
An interesting fact is that a person in presidential power can resign by submitting the resignation letter to the Vice-President.
Here’s a list of Presidents of India, starting from Dr. Rajendra Prasad to Ram Nath Kovind.
| SL no | Name | Tenure Date | Description |
| 1 | Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884 – 1963)  |
26 Jan 1950 – 13 May 1962 | On December 3rd, 2019 India has celebrated the 135th birth anniversary of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the country. In his life, he has played the role of a teacher and a lawyer. When India became a republic in 1950, he was elected as the first president by the Constituent Assembly. |
| 2 | Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888 – 1975)  |
13 May 1962 – 13 May 1967 | A well known Indian philosopher and professor, Dr. Radhakrishnan was the first vice-president and second president of India. His birthday is celebrated as Teachers’ Day every year on 5th September. In 1954, he was honored with Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country. |
| 3 | Dr. Zakir Husain (1897–1969)  |
13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969 |
He was a great educationist and was the founder of Jamia Milia Islamia.For his dedicated work in the education field, he was awarded Padma Vibhushan in the year 1954 and for his service for the nation, Bharat Ratna was awarded in 1963.It was in his office in 1969, he died of a sudden heart attack. |
| 4 | V. V. Giri (Varahagiri Venkata Giri) (1894–1980)  |
May 03, 1969 – July 20, 1969 August 24, 1969 – August 24, 1974 |
The only president to be elected as an independent nominee, V. V. Giri was born in Odisha. In 1969, after president Zakir Husain’s death in 1969, V.V. Giri became the acting president and then was elected for the position of President with a narrow majority. |
| 5 | Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah (1905–1992)  |
20 July 1969 – 24 August 1969 6 October 1982 – 31 October 1982 |
Mohammad Hidayatullah, who served as the 11 Indian Chief Justice and 6th Vice President was also the country’s acting President for two terms, following V.V. Giri’s resignation from the acting President position. In 2003, The Hidayatullah National Law University was established in Raipur in honor of Justice Hidayatullah |
| 6 | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1905–1977)  |
24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977 | An active participant of the Indian Freedom Movement, and a strong member of the Indian National Congress since 1925, Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was born in Delhi. On February 1977, just like Dr. Zakir Husain, he also died of a heart attack while being in the position. |
| 7 | Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy (1913–1996)  |
25 July 1977 – 25 July 1982 |
Known as the youngest Indian president ever, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the CM of Andhra Pradesh, where he was born. He also served as the Lok Sabha Speaker twice in 1967 and 1977 respectively. He died due to pneumonia in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in the year 1996. |
| 8 | Giani Zail Singh (1916–1994)  |
25 July 1982- 25 July 1987 |
Zail Singh was the country’s first and only Sikh president. He got occupied in politics after being moved by Bhagat Singh’s execution. Later he became a part of the Indian freedom movement. In 1972, he became Punjab’s Chief Minister and Indian president in 1982. |
| 9 | Ramaswamy Venkataraman (1910–2009)  |
25 July 1987 – 25 July 1992 |
Born in Madras presidency, Ramaswamy Venkataraman was an Indian lawyer and he practiced law in the Madras High Court and the Indian Supreme Court. Eighth president and the seventh vice president of the country, he was also a participant in the historic Quit India Movement. |
| 10 | Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918–1999)  |
25 July 1992 – 25 July 1997 |
Born in the state of Bhopal, Shankar Dayal Sharma served the presidential position from 1992 to 1997. His contribution to the legal profession has made him a recipient of the ‘Living Legends of Law Award of Recognition’ by the International Bar Association. In 1984, he was appointed as the governor of Andhra Pradesh state and then Punjab governor in 1985 |
| 11 | Kocheril Raman Narayanan (K.R.Narayanan) (1921–2005)  |
25 July 1997 – 25 July 2002 |
Born in Kottayam district, Kerala, K.R. Narayanan was the first Dalit president of the country. He was also the first sitting president to vote in general elections (1998). A member of INC, he also served as India’s ambassador to the United States as well as China. |
| 12 | Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam (1931–2015)  |
25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007 | A successful aerospace scientist known as the “Missile man of India”, who grow up from poverty. Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born in Tamil Nadu. His autobiography was the most inspiring Wings of Fire. The country honored him with Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna in 1997. |
| 13 | Pratibha Singh Patil (1934–)  |
25 July 2007 – 25 July 2012 | The first and only woman to be the President of India, Pratibha Patil was a lawyer by profession. She also served as the Governor of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2007 and was also Cabinet minister under Maharashtra government diverse times. Also she represented the country in several international councils. |
| 14 | Pranab Mukherjee (1935–)  |
25 July 2012 – 25 July 2017 | The 13th Indian president, Pranab Mukherjee became active in politics in 1969 under the guidance of Indira Gandhi. He has also served as minister in defence, commerce, foreign, and finance sector during his career. The country has honored him with the Padma Vibhushan in 2008 |
| 15 | Ram Nath Kovind (1945–)  |
25 July 2017 – to date | The current president of India, Ram Nath Kovind is serving the position since 2017. A lawyer by profession, he has practiced in the High Court as well as the Supreme Court in Delhi. He also served as the Governor of Bihar in 2015. |
Presidents of India – by Timeline
List of Vice Presidents of India
| Sl No | Name | Tenure Date |
| 1 | Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 13 May 1952 – 12 May 1957 13 May 1957 – 12 May 1962 |
| 2 | Dr. Zakir Hussain | 13 May 1962 – 12 May 1967 |
| 3 | Dr. V.V Giri | 13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969 |
| 4 | Gopal Swarup Pathak | 31 August 1969 – 30 August 1974 |
| 5 | BD Jatti | 31 August 1974 – 30 August 1979 |
| 6 | Mohammad Hidayatullah | 31 August 1979 – 30 August 1984 |
| 7 | R. Venkataraman | 31 August 1984 – 24 July 1987 |
| 8 | Shankar Dayal Sharma | 3 September 1987 – 24 July 1992 |
| 9 | K R Narayanan | 21 August 1992 – 24 July 1997 |
| 10 | Krishan Kant | 21 August 1997 – 27 July 2002 |
| 11 | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat | 19 August 2002 – 21 July 2007 |
| 12 | Mohammad Hamid Ansari | 11 August 2007 – 11 August 2012 |
| 13 | Venkaiah Naidu | 11 August 2012 – 11 August 2017 |
| 12 August 2017 – Incumbent |
Conclusion
India, with its varied and rich cultural heritage, has achieved all-round socio-economic progress since Independence.
Hope this blog helps you to identify the great personalities who occupied the positions of President and Vice-Presidents in India.
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