List of Presidents of India: Past and Present

Last updated November 2026

This page lists the presidents and heads of state of India from 1950 to the present, with the years each leader was in office and a short summary of their time in power. Use it to find the current president of India, former presidents, and key dates in the country's political history.

Current president of India: Droupadi Murmu (in office since 2022).

Presidents of India in order, with years in office

Rajendra Prasad

Served: 1950–1962

First president of India and the only person to serve two full terms; he had chaired the Constituent Assembly.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Served: 1962–1967

Philosopher and former vice president; his birthday, 5 September, is celebrated as Teachers' Day.

Zakir Husain

Served: 1967–1969

First Muslim president of India; he died in office in May 1969.

V. V. Giri

Served: 1969 (acting)

Vice president who acted as president from 3 May to 20 July 1969, after Zakir Husain's death.

Mohammad Hidayatullah

Served: 1969 (acting)

Chief Justice of India who acted as president for 35 days in 1969 while Giri stood for the presidency.

V. V. Giri

Served: 1969–1974

Elected in August 1969 and the only person to have been both acting president and president.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Served: 1974–1977

Second president to die in office; he died in February 1977.

B. D. Jatti

Served: 1977 (acting)

Vice president who acted as president for 164 days in 1977.

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

Served: 1977–1982

Janata Party member and the only president elected unopposed.

Zail Singh

Served: 1982–1987

First Sikh president of India and a former home minister.

Ramaswamy Venkataraman

Served: 1987–1992

Former vice president who had earlier served as a Union minister.

Shankar Dayal Sharma

Served: 1992–1997

Former vice president and Congress leader.

K. R. Narayanan

Served: 1997–2002

First Dalit president of India and a former diplomat.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Served: 2002–2007

Aerospace scientist known as the 'People's President'.

Pratibha Patil

Served: 2007–2012

First woman president of India.

Pranab Mukherjee

Served: 2012–2017

Long-serving Congress minister, including as finance minister, before becoming president.

Ram Nath Kovind

Served: 2017–2022

Former Governor of Bihar and the second Dalit president of India.

Droupadi Murmu

Served: 2022–present

Took office on 25 July 2022 as India's second woman president and its first from a tribal community; her five-year term ends in July 2027.

Frequently asked questions about the presidents of India

Who is the current president of India?

The current head of state of India is Droupadi Murmu, in office since 2022.

Who were the previous presidents of India?

The presidents and heads of state of India listed on this page, in order, are: Rajendra Prasad, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Zakir Husain, V. V. Giri, Mohammad Hidayatullah, V. V. Giri, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, B. D. Jatti, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Zail Singh, Ramaswamy Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma, K. R. Narayanan, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil, Pranab Mukherjee, Ram Nath Kovind, Droupadi Murmu.

Who was the first president of India?

Rajendra Prasad was the first president of India, in office 1950–1962.

Sources: Wikipedia, List of presidents of India (term dates as listed there, citing the Rashtrapati Bhavan website); Press Information Bureau and Rashtrapati Bhavan records (checked Nov 2026). India has had 15 elected presidents; three acting presidents (Giri, Hidayatullah and Jatti) are listed in order and labelled.. Last reviewed November 2026.

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