13 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on the President of India are on this page, from 1996 to 2025. The questions repeat around the election system and the value of votes, impeachment, the ordinance power under Article 123, the pardoning power and the advisory reference under Article 143. The explanations give the article behind each answer.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 11–13 of 13 questions
Browse by year
UPSC 2003Polity · President
Q11. Consider the following statements: In the electoral college for Presidential Election in India, 1. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Legislative Assembly equals State Population × 100 = Number of Elected MLAs of the State 2. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Parliament equals to total value of the votes of all elected MLA’s divided by total number of elected MP’s 3. There were more than 5000 members in the latest elections. Which of these statements is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: The formula: The value of the vote of an elected Member of Legislative Assembly equals = [{State Population / (Number of Elected MLAs of the state} X 1000]. Thus the equation should have 1000 at the place of multiplication not 100.
Statement 2 is correct: The statement is slightly incorrect because the value of vote of an elected member of the Parliament equals the total value of the votes of all elected MLAs divided by total number of elected MPs.
Statement 3 is incorrect: For the 2003 question the latest Presidential election was held in 2002 which had 4896 electors.
UPSC 1997Polity · President
Q12. In the Presidential election in India, every elected member of the Legislative Assembly of a State shall have as many votes as there are multiples of one thousand in the quotient obtained by dividing the population of the State by the total number of the elected members of the Assembly. As at present the expression "population" here means the population as ascertained by the: (1997)
Explanation
The formula for electing the President of India considers each state’s population and the number of elected members in the state’s Legislative Assembly. In 1997 R K Narayanan with nearly 95% defeated T N Seshan who got nearly 5% vote. The census used in the election was 1971 due to complex interplay of politics and constitutional provisions. Even the Presidential election 2022 used the 1971 census. The 84th Constitutional Amendment act 2001 froze the use of census data from 1971 till 2026.
UPSC 1996Polity · President
Q13. Which one of the following is a part of the electoral college for the President but not the forum for his impeachment?
Explanation
Article 54 states that the President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members from both Houses of Parliament and elected members from State Legislative Assemblies, including those from Delhi and Pondicherry. Under Article 61, any of the two Houses of Parliament initiates impeachment with a 14-day written notice to the President signed by one-fourth of its members. The resolution must pass by a two-thirds majority of the membership. The other House investigates the charges. If the investigating House also passes the resolution by a two-thirds majority of membership, the President is impeached. The president has the right to appear and to be represented at such an investigation. The Article 61 does not mention the State Legislatures.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
11
2003
(b) Only 2
12
1997
(c) 1971 Census
13
1996
(d) State Legislative Assemblies
What UPSC has tested in President
The President is elected by an electoral college of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies; nominated members are not included.
The value of a State MLA’s vote differs from State to State, based on population and the number of MLAs, using the 1971 Census.
Only Parliament impeaches the President under Article 61, so State Legislative Assemblies are part of the electoral college but not of the impeachment forum.
Article 123 gives the ordinance-making power; Article 143 lets the President seek the Supreme Court’s opinion.
The executive power of the Union is vested in the President under Article 53, not in the Prime Minister.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on President?
This page covers 13 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on President (Polity), asked from 1996 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Who elects the President of India?
An electoral college made up of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and of the Legislative Assemblies of States and of the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. Nominated members take no part in the election.
Why does the value of a vote differ between States?
The value of an MLA’s vote is the State’s population (1971 Census) divided by the number of elected MLAs, divided again by one thousand. A State with more people per MLA therefore gives each of its MLAs a higher vote value.
Which Article provides for impeachment of the President?
Article 61. A charge of violating the Constitution must be signed by a quarter of the members of one House, and the charge must be passed by a two-thirds majority of that House and then of the other.
Which Article lets the President seek the Supreme Court’s opinion?
Article 143. The President may refer a question of law or fact of public importance to the Supreme Court. The advice is not binding on the President, and the Court may decline to answer.
