As India elects its next President, here is the full list of previous Raisina Hill occupants

New Delhi, India - June 27, 2022: A mirage forms outside the Rashtrapati Bhawan due to the scorching heat in New Delhi, India, on Monday, June 27, 2022.  (Photo by Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)Premium
New Delhi, India - June 27, 2022: A mirage forms outside the Rashtrapati Bhawan due to the scorching heat in New Delhi, India, on Monday, June 27, 2022. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)
3 min read . Updated: 18 Jul 2022, 09:43 AM IST Livemint

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The two Presidential nominees - National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Droupadi Murmu and Opposition's Yashwant Sinha have canvassed hard by visiting states to seek the support of legislators.

National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and joint opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha are the two contesting candidates for election to the Office of the President. Murmu is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha minister. If elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the country's second female President. The Opposition's Sinha, a former Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government who later joined Trinamool Congress is backed by Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

A total of 4,809 electors will vote in the Presidential elections today. The polling will take place between 10 am and 5 pm in the Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies.

Ram Nath Kovind will remain President till 24 July who was elected the 14th President in 2017.

As the country will get a new President on 25 July , here is a list of previous Raisina Hill occupants -

Rajendra Prasad (1950 - 1962): Rajendra Prasad was the first President of Independent India and stayed in office for the longest term of around 12 years. Post the completion of his tenure, he quit the Congress and set up new guidelines for parliamentarians which are still followed. Prasad played a major role in forming the Bihari Students Conference in 1906 and served as the president of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of India.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1962 - 1967): September 5, the birthday of Radhakrishnan, one of the most learned scholars and statesmen of the nation, is celebrated as 'Teacher's Day' in India. He was one of the first to receive the Bharat Ratna, in 1954, and was also the first to lead the line of five Presidents to receive the Bharat Ratna till now. Shortly before his death in 1975, he was honoured with the Templeton Prize for his work.

Dr. Zakir Hussain (1967 - 1969): Dr. Hussain was the country's first Muslim president, who occupied the office for the shortest period. His untimely death two years after being elected made VV Giri the first acting president of India.

Varahagiri Venkata Giri (1969-1974): Giri resigned two months after being appointed as the acting President of India, following the death of Dr. Zakir Hussaian as he wanted to become an elected President. He was later elected as the fourth President of India in 1969.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974 - 1977): Ahmed served as the President of India during the time of Emergency. He was the second Muslim to be elected as the President of India and also the second to die in state.

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (1977 - 1982): Reddy was the sixth President of India and the first to be elected unopposed and the youngest to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Giani Zail Singh (1982 - 1987): The only Sikh President of India till now, Singh also served as the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Ramaswamy Venkataraman (1987 - 1992): As a President of India, Venkataraman had the distinction of working with four Prime Ministers. Before being elected as the President, Venkataraman served a stint as the Governor of the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Asian Development Bank.

Shankar Dayal Sharma (1992 - 1997): Shankar Dayal Sharma earlier served as the eighth Vice-President of India and the Chief Minister of Bhopal state.

Kocheril Raman Narayanan (1997 - 2002): Popularly known as KR Narayanan, he was the first Dalit-origin President of India. Narayanan, who formerly served as a diplomat, served as India's ambassador to China and the United States.

APJ Abdul Kalam (2002 - 2007): Known for his role in the development of India's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes, APJ Abdul Kalam was the first scientist to become a President in 2002.

Pratibha Patil (2007 - 2012): Pratibha Patil was the first woman to become the President of India.

Pranab Mukherjee (2012 - 2017): Pranab Mukherjee, who served as the 13th President of India, Before entering into politics, Mukherjee worked as a lecturer and journalist. Mukherjee is the only President who served all the major portfolios as the Centre - Foreign, Defence, Commerce and Finance - at different times in his political career.

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