Draupadi Murmu, the 15th and current President of India took oath on 25th July, 2022. She is India’s first Tribal President. Draupadi Murmu is a Tribal Leader from Rairangpur in the Mayurbhanj district in Odisha.
According to Indian Constitution, the President is the nominal head of the government. He/she acts on the advise of the Prime Minister. The President is considered as the head of the state but does not exercise executive powers. Every executive action is taken in the name of President. All the MoU signed with the foreign country are in the name of the President of India. The first President of India was Dr. Rajendra Prasad while the current President is Draupadi Murmu. Here we have a list of all the 15 Presidents of India till now from 1950 to 2022.
1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar. He was the first former President of India. He was also the chief leader of the Indian Independence movement. In 1962, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.
2. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
The second President and first Vice President of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was a philosopher and politician. In 1954, he was awarded with Bharat Ratna. He was also the first ambassador to the Soviet Union.
3. Dr. Zakir Husain
He was the first Muslim President of India. He served the nation as the third President and second Vice President of India. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1963. He was someone who bought revolutionary change in the Education Sector.
4. V. V. Giri
The fourth President and third Vice President of India, Varahagiri Venkata Giri was the first person who got elected as President as an independent candidate. He was honored with Bharat Ratna in 1975. He was known for his contribution in the labor movement of India. Moreover, he was also the founder of Bengal Nagpur Railway Association.
5. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed who was an Indian lawyer and politician of Assam served the Country as the fifth President of India. After Dr. Zakir Husain (third President of India), Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed died while being in the post of President. He introduced several new taxes like taxes on amusements and betting, tax on sale of goods and agricultural income tax.
6. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
The sixth President of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the first chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. He was the only President of India who was elected unopposed. He died on 1st June 1996 in Bangalore.
7. Giani Zail Singh
He was the first Sikh President of India and was also the chief minister of Punjab. He was someone who used Pocket Veto on the Indian Post Office Bill. When he was the President, many events took place that includes Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
8. R. Venkataraman
He was the eighth President of India who served the Nation from 25th July 1987 to 25th July 1992. Before this, he was the Vice-President of India who was honored in different parts of the world. He received “Tamra Patra” for his contributions to India’s freedom struggle.
9. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma
Before he became President, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma was elected as eighth Vice President of India. He was also the chief minister of Bhopal and a cabinet minister. He received ‘Living Legend of Law Award of Recognition’ by The International Bar Association.
10. K R Narayanan
He was the first Dalit President and first Malayali officer who received the highest office of the country. He was also the ninth Vice President of India. He was considered as the first President who voted in the Lok Sabha elections and addressed the state assembly.
11. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam
Dr. Kalam was the most appreciated President who was famous as the ‘Missile Man of India’. He was the first Scientist who got the position of President of India. During his directorial many missiles were successfully launched like Rohini-1 satellites, Agni and Prithvi missiles. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1997.
12. Shrimati Pratibha Singh Patil
She was the first woman President of India. She was also the Governor of Rajasthan. Patil was elected as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly five times from 1962 to 1985. She was a wonder women who was also the first woman president to fly Sukhoi.
13. Pranab Mukherjee
He was the finance minister in the central government before he got elected as the President. He was awarded with India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna by his successor as president, Ram Nath Kovind. He died on 31st August, 2020 at the age of 84.
14. Ram Nath Kovind
He is an Indian politician who served the Nation as the 14th President. After K.R. Narayanan, he is the second person from Dalit community who occupied the Presidency post. He is the former Governor of Bihar. He is a member of the Bhartiya Janata Party.
15. Draupadi Murmu
Current and 15th President of India, Draupadi Murmu is the first person to be elected from the Tribal community and the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hold the office. She is a former Governor of Jharkhand and has received the Nilkantha Award for the best MLA.
Hope you found this article interesting. Who among these great leaders do you admire the most? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments box below.
