Articles 55, 56 and 57 of the Constitution of India
Articles 55, 56 and 57 form part of the constitutional framework governing the office of the President of India. They deal respectively with the manner of election of the President, the term of office, and eligibility for re-election.
Article 55 - Manner of election of President
Article 55 establishes the method for determining the value of votes in a Presidential election. Its object is, as far as practicable, to secure uniformity in the scale of representation of the States and parity between the States as a whole and the Union.
Clause (1): As far as practicable, there shall be uniformity in the scale of representation of the different States at the election of the President.
Clause (2): The value of votes of elected members of State Legislative Assemblies and elected members of both Houses of Parliament is determined constitutionally so as to secure uniformity among States and parity between the States and the Union.
Clause (3): The election is held by proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, and voting is by secret ballot.
How the value of votes is calculated
Value of an MLA's vote: population of the State divided by the total number of elected members of its Legislative Assembly, with the quotient applied in multiples of 1,000 and the constitutional rounding rule in Article 55(2)(b).
Value of an MP's vote: total value of votes assigned to elected MLAs divided by the total number of elected members of both Houses of Parliament, applying the rounding rule in Article 55(2)(c).
For Articles 54 and 55, the constitutional expression "State" includes the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union territory of Puducherry. The Election Commission of India administers the Presidential election under the applicable constitutional and statutory framework.
Article 56 - Term of office of President
Article 56 provides that the President holds office for five years from the date on which the President enters office. The Article also specifies how the office may be vacated before completion of that term and ensures continuity until a successor enters office.
Five-year term: The normal constitutional term is five years from the date of entering office.
Resignation: The President may resign by writing addressed to the Vice-President. The Vice-President must forthwith communicate the resignation to the Speaker of the House of the People.
Impeachment: The President may be removed for violation of the Constitution by impeachment in the manner provided by Article 61.
Continuity: Even after expiry of the term, the President continues to hold office until the successor enters office.
Article 57 - Eligibility for re-election
Article 57 provides that a person who holds, or has held, the office of President is eligible for re-election, subject to the other provisions of the Constitution. The Article itself does not prescribe a numerical limit on the number of times a person may be re-elected.
Related constitutional provisions
Articles 55 to 57 should be read with Articles 52, 53 and 54, which deal with the President, executive power of the Union and the electoral college; Articles 58, 59 and 60, which cover qualifications, conditions of office and oath or affirmation; and Article 61 on impeachment.
Official resources
For authoritative constitutional text and election guidance, see the Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice and the Election Commission of India.