Article 55 of Indian Constitution: Manner of election of President.
Article 55 Manner of election of President – Constitution Of India
(1) As far as practicable, there shall be uniformity in the scale of representation of the different States at the election of the President.
(2) For the purpose of securing such uniformity among the States inter se as well as parity between the States as a whole and the Union, the number of votes which each elected member of Parliament and of the Legislative Assembly of each State is entitled to cast at such election shall be determined in the following manner:—
(2a) 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;
(2b) if, after taking the said multiples of one thousand, the remainder is not less than five hundred, then the vote of each member referred to in sub-clause (a) shall be further increased by one;
(2c) each elected member of either House of Parliament shall have such number of votes as may be obtained by dividing the total number of votes assigned to the members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States under sub-clauses (a) and (b) by the total number of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament, fractions exceeding onehalf being counted as one and other fractions being disregarded.
(3) The election of the President shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot. Explanation.—In this article, the expression ”population” means the population as ascertained at the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published: Provided that the reference in this Explanation to the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published shall, until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 1 [2026] have been published, be construed as a reference to the 1971 census.
Here’s a clear breakdown of Article 55 of the Constitution of India regarding the manner of election of the President:
Article 55 – Manner of Election of President
1️⃣ Uniformity of Representation
- As far as possible, all states should have proportional representation in the presidential election.
- Goal: Ensure fairness among states and between states and the Union.
2️⃣ Value of Votes
Step 1: Value of MLA’s Vote (Legislative Assembly Members)
- Formula:
Value of MLA’s vote=Population of the StateNumber of elected MLAs÷1000\text{Value of MLA’s vote} = \frac{\text{Population of the State}}{\text{Number of elected MLAs}} \div 1000Value of MLA’s vote=Number of elected MLAsPopulation of the State÷1000
- If remainder ≥ 500, add 1 vote to each MLA’s vote.
Step 2: Value of MP’s Vote (Parliament Members)
- Formula:
Value of MP’s vote=Total votes of all MLAsTotal number of elected MPs\text{Value of MP’s vote} = \frac{\text{Total votes of all MLAs}}{\text{Total number of elected MPs}}Value of MP’s vote=Total number of elected MPsTotal votes of all MLAs
- Fractions > 0.5 count as 1, fractions ≤ 0.5 are ignored.
3️⃣ Voting System
- Proportional representation by single transferable vote.
- Voting is by secret ballot.
4️⃣ Explanation of “Population”
- Population = Last published census figures.
- Until the 1st census after 2026 is published, 1971 census figures are used.
Summary Table
| Member Type | How Vote Value is Calculated |
|---|---|
| MLA | (Population ÷ No. of MLAs) ÷ 1000, +1 if remainder ≥500 |
| MP | (Total MLA votes ÷ No. of MPs), round fractions >0.5 to 1 |
💡 Key Points:
- Ensures states with larger populations have proportionally higher influence, but keeps balance with MPs.
- Prevents dominance of one state due to population size.
- Uses single transferable vote, which means candidates must gain quota of votes to win.