View source for List of heads of state of India

{{short description|Heads of state of India}}
{{For|historical heads of state in the Indian Subcontinent|List of Indian monarchs}}

{{Politics of India}}
This is a '''list of the heads of state of India''', from the independence of [[Dominion of India|India]] in 1947 to the present day. The current head of state of India is [[Ram Nath Kovind]], elected in [[2017 Indian presidential election|2017]] after being nominated by [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]], the party run by [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Narendra Modi]].

From 1947 to 1950 the head of state under the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]] was [[King of India]],<ref>{{citation|quote=On independence in 1947, George VI became 'King of India' until the adoption of republican status in 1950.|page=22|title=The Contemporary Commonwealth: An Assessment 1965-2009|year=2009|isbn=9781135238308|publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref><ref>{{citation|quote=King George was in effect King of India and it was as such that he functioned as the Head of the Indian State. He did not function in India as the King of England.|page=363|title=Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: 21 June to 15 August 1949|year=1991|author=Jawaharlal Nehru|publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund}}</ref> who was also the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|monarch of the United Kingdom]] and of the other [[Dominion]]s of the [[British Commonwealth]]. The monarch was represented in India by a [[Governor-General of India|governor-general]]. India became a republic under the [[Constitution of India|Constitution of 1950]] and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial [[President of India|president]].

==Monarch (1947–1950)==
The succession to the throne was the same as the [[succession to the British throne]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!rowspan=2|№
!rowspan=2|Monarch<br>{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
!rowspan=2|Portrait
!colspan=2|Reign
!rowspan=2|Royal House
!rowspan=2|[[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
!rowspan=2|[[Governor General of India|Governor General]]
|-
!Reign start
!Reign end
|-
!rowspan=2|1
|rowspan=2|'''[[George VI]]<br>{{small|(1895–1952)}}'''
|rowspan=2|[[File:King George VI.jpg|60px]]
|rowspan=2| {{nowrap|15 August}} 1947
|rowspan=2| {{nowrap|26 January}} 1950
|rowspan=2| [[House of Windsor|Windsor]]
|rowspan=2| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]]
|[[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Mountbatten]]<br>{{small|(1947–1948)}}
|-
|[[C. Rajagopalachari|Rajagopalachari]]<br>{{small|(1948–1950)}}
|-
|}

===Governor-General===
The [[Governor-General of India|Governor-General]] was the representative of the Monarch in India and exercised most of the powers of the Monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the Monarch. After the passage of the [[Statute of Westminster 1931]], the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the [[Cabinet of India]] without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the [[Chief Justice of India|Chief Justice]] served as [[Administrator of the Government|Officer Administering the Government]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!rowspan=2|№
!rowspan=2|Governor-General<br>{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
!rowspan=2|Portrait
!colspan=2|Tenure
!rowspan=2|Monarch
!rowspan=2|[[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
|-
!Took office
!Left office
|-
! 1
! [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|The Rt. Hon. The Earl Mountbatten of Burma]]<br>{{small|(1900–1979)}}
| [[File:Lord Mountbatten 4 Allan Warren.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|15 August}} 1947
| {{nowrap|21 June}} 1948
| rowspan=2 |George VI
| rowspan=2 |[[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]]
|-
! 2
! [[C. Rajagopalachari|Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]]<br>{{small|(1878–1972)}}
| [[File:C Rajagopalachari Feb 17 2011.JPG|60px]]
| {{nowrap|21 June}} 1948
| {{nowrap|26 January}} 1950
|-
|}

==President of India==
Under the [[Constitution of India|Constitution]], of the Republic of India, the [[President of India|president]] replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The president is elected by the [[Electoral College (India)|Electoral College]] for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the [[Vice President of India|vice president]] serves as [[acting (law)|acting]] president.

;Status
{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes Vice-President acting as President}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!rowspan=2|№
!rowspan=2|President<br>{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
!rowspan=2|Portrait
!colspan=2|Tenure
!rowspan=2|Elected
!rowspan=2 colspan=2|Political affiliation<br>(at time of appointment)
!rowspan=2|[[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
|-
!Took office
!Left office
|-
! 1
! [[Rajendra Prasad]]<br>{{small|(1884–1963)}}
| [[File:Food Minister Rajendra Prasad during a radio broadcast in Dec 1947 cropped.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|26 January}} 1950
| {{nowrap|13 May}} 1962
| [[1952 Indian presidential election|1952]]<br>[[1957 Indian presidential election|1957]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]]
|-
! 2
! [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan|Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]]<br>{{small|(1888–1975)}}
| [[File:Photograph of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan presented to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|13 May}} 1962
| {{nowrap|13 May}} 1967
| [[1962 Indian presidential election|1962]]
| style="background: {{Independent/meta/color}};" |
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| Nehru<br>[[Gulzarilal Nanda|Nanda]]<br>[[Lal Bahadur Shastri|Shastri]]<br>Nanda<br>[[Indira Gandhi|Gandhi]]
|-
! 3
! [[Zakir Husain (politician)|Zakir Husain]]<br>{{small|(1897–1969)}}
| [[File:DR. ZAKIR HUSAIN - PICTORIAL BIOGRAPHY 0005.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|13 May}} 1967
| {{nowrap|3 May}} 1969<br>{{small|(''died in office.'')}}
| [[1967 Indian presidential election|1967]]
| style="background: {{Independent/meta/color}};" |
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| Gandhi
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| '''[[V. V. Giri]]<br>{{small|(1894–1980)}}'''
| [[File:V.V.Giri.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|3 May}} 1969
| {{nowrap|20 July}} 1969
| –
| style="background: {{Independent/meta/color}};" |
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| Gandhi
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| '''[[Mohammad Hidayatullah]]<br>{{small|(1905–1992)}}'''
| [[File:No image.png|60px]]
| {{nowrap|20 July}} 1969
| {{nowrap|24 August}} 1969
| –
| style="background: {{Independent/meta/color}};" |
| <ref>Was Chief Justice of India</ref>
| Gandhi
|-
! 4
! [[V. V. Giri]]<br>{{small|(1894–1980)}}
| [[File:V.V.Giri.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|24 August}} 1969
| {{nowrap|24 August}} 1974
| [[1969 Indian presidential election|1969]]
| style="background: {{Independent/meta/color}};" |
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| Gandhi
|-
! 5
! [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]]<br>{{small|(1905–1977)}}
| [[File:No image.png|60px]]
| {{nowrap|24 August}} 1974
| {{nowrap|11 February}} 1977<br>{{small|(''died in office.'')}}
| [[1974 Indian presidential election|1974]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| Gandhi
|-style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| '''[[B. D. Jatti]]<br>{{small|(1912–2002)}}'''
| [[File:No image.png|60px]]
| {{nowrap|11 February}} 1977
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1977
| –
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| Gandhi<br>[[Morarji Desai|Desai]]
|-
! 6
! [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]<br>{{small|(1913–1996)}}
| [[File:NeelamSanjeevaReddy.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1977
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1982
| [[1977 Indian presidential election|1977]]
| style="background: {{Janata Party/meta/color}};" |
| [[Janata Party]]
| Desai<br>[[Charan Singh|Singh]]<br>Gandhi
|-
! 7
! [[Zail Singh|Giani Zail Singh]]<br>{{small|(1916–1994)}}
| [[File:Giani Zail Singh 1995 stamp of India (cropped).png|60px]]
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1982
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1987
| [[1982 Indian presidential election|1982]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| Gandhi<br>[[Rajiv Gandhi|Gandhi]]
|-
! 8
! [[R. Venkataraman]]<br>{{small|(1910–2009)}}
| [[File:R Venkataraman.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1987
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1992
| [[1987 Indian presidential election|1987]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| Gandhi<br>[[V. P. Singh|Singh]]<br>[[Chandra Shekhar|Shekhar]]<br>[[P. V. Narasimha Rao|Rao]]
|-
! 9
! [[Shankar Dayal Sharma]]<br>{{small|(1918–1999)}}
| [[File:Shankar Dayal Sharma 36.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1992
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1997
| [[1992 Indian presidential election|1992]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| Rao<br>[[Atal Bihari Vajpayee|Vajpayee]]<br>[[H. D. Deve Gowda|Deve Gowda]]<br>[[I. K. Gujral|Gujral]]
|-
! 10
! [[K. R. Narayanan]]<br>{{small|(1920–2005)}}
| [[File:K. R. Narayanan.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 1997
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 2002
| [[1997 Indian presidential election|1997]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| Gujral<br>[[Atal Bihari Vajpayee|Vajpayee]]
|-
! 11
! [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]]<br>{{small|(1931–2015)}}
| [[File:A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in 2008.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 2002
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 2007
| [[2002 Indian presidential election|2002]]
| style="background: {{Independent/meta/color}};" |
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| Vajpayee<br>[[Manmohan Singh|Singh]]
|-
! 12
! [[Pratibha Patil]]<br>{{small|(born 1934)}}
| [[File:PratibhaIndia.jpg|60px]]
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 2007
| {{nowrap|25 July}} 2012
| [[2007 Indian presidential election|2007]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| [[Manmohan Singh|Singh]]
|-
! 13
! [[Pranab Mukherjee]]<br>{{small|(1935–2020)}}
| [[File:Secretary Tim Geithner and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee 2010 crop.jpg|60px]]
| 25 July 2012
| 25 July 2017
| [[2012 Indian presidential election|2012]]
| style="background: {{Indian National Congress/meta/color}};" |
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| [[Manmohan Singh|Singh]]<br>[[Narendra Modi|Modi]]
|-
! 14
! [[Ram Nath Kovind]]<br>{{small|(born 1945)}}
| [[File:Ram Nath Kovind official portrait.jpg|60px]]
| 25 July 2017
| {{nowrap|''Incumbent''}}
| [[2017 Indian presidential election|2017]]
| style="background: {{Bharatiya Janata Party/meta/color}};" |
| [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| [[Narendra Modi|Modi]]
|-
|}

==Standards==
<gallery class="center">
File:Badge of the Monarchy of India (1947-50).png|Badge of Monarch of India (1947–1950)
File:Flag of the Governor-General of India (1947-1950).svg|Governor-General's Standard (1947–1950)
File:Flag of the President of India (1950–1971).svg|Presidential Standard (1950–1971)
</gallery>

==Living former heads of state==
There is only one living former Indian head of state:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image
! Name
! Term/reign
! Office
! Date of birth
|-
| [[File:PratibhaIndia.jpg|60px]]
| [[Pratibha Patil]]
| 2007–2012
| President of India
| {{birth date and age|1934|12|19|df=y}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India.htm World Statesmen – India]
* [http://rulers.org/ruli.html#india Rulers.org – India]

{{Heads of State of India}}

[[Category:India government-related lists]]
[[Category:Lists of political office-holders in India|H]]
[[Category:Presidents of India| ]]
[[Category:Lists of heads of state|India]]