The President of India is indirectly elected with Instant-runoff voting[1] by means of an electoral college consisting of the elected members of the Parliament of India and the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories of India. The number and value of votes are based on the population in 1971 rather than the current population, as a result of the 42nd Amendment, and extended by the 84th Amendment,[2] with the intention to encourage family planning programs in the states by ensuring that states are not penalised for lowering their population growth and development.
The Vice-President is elected by a different electoral college, consisting of members (elected as well as nominated) of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The presidential electoral college is made up of the following:
The value of votes cast by elected members of the state legislative assemblies and both houses of parliament are determined by the provisions of article 55(2) of the Constitution of India.[4] The details of number of voters and votes for the presidential election are given below.[5] As per the 84th Amendment, the 1971 census is used, and will continue to be used until 2026.[2]
The formula for determining the number of votes held by an MLA is:
ValueofanMLAvote=\cfrac{Totalpopulationofthestateorunionterritory |
That is, the average constituency size, determined by the 1971 census, in the state or union territory, divided by 1,000.
The number of votes for MLAs are as follows:
| Name of the State/Union Territory | Number of State Legislative Assembly seats (elective) | Population (1971 Census) | Value of the vote of each MLA | Total value of votes for the State/Union Territory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 27,800,586 | 159 | 27,825 | ||
| Arunachal Pradesh | 467,511 | 8 | 480 | ||
| Assam | 14,625,152 | 116 | 14,616 | ||
| Bihar | 42,126,236 | 173 | 42,039 | ||
| Chhattisgarh | 90 | 11,637,494 | 129 | 11,610 | |
| Delhi | 70 | 4,065,698 | 58 | 4,060 | |
| Goa | 40 | 795,120 | 20 | 800 | |
| Gujarat | 26,697,475 | 147 | 26,754 | ||
| Haryana | 90 | 10,036,808 | 112 | 10,080 | |
| Himachal Pradesh | 3,460,434 | 51 | 3468 | ||
| Jammu and Kashmir [6] | 87 | 6,300,000 | 72 | 6,264 | |
| Jharkhand | 81 | 14,227,133 | 176 | 14,256 | |
| 224 | 29,299,014 | 131 | 29,344 | ||
| Kerala | 21,347,375 | 152 | 21,280 | ||
| Madhya Pradesh | 30,016,625 | 131 | 30,130 | ||
| Maharashtra | 288 | 50,412,235 | 175 | 50,400 | |
| Manipur | 1,072,753 | 18 | 1,080 | ||
| Meghalaya | 60 | 1,011,699 | 17 | 1,020 | |
| Mizoram | 40 | 332,390 | 8 | 320 | |
| Nagaland | 60 | 516,499 | 9 | 540 | |
| Odisha | 21,944,615 | 149 | 21,903 | ||
| Puducherry | 30 | 471,707 | 16 | 480 | |
| Punjab | 13,551,060 | 116 | 13,572 | ||
| Rajasthan | 25,765,806 | 129 | 25,800 | ||
| Sikkim | 209,843 | 7 | 224 | ||
| Tamil Nadu | 41,199,168 | 176 | 41,184 | ||
| Telangana | 119 | 15,702,122 | 132 | 15,708 | |
| Tripura | 60 | 1,556,342 | 26 | 1,560 | |
| Uttar Pradesh | 83,849,905 | 208 | 83,824 | ||
| Uttarakhand | 70 | 4,491,239 | 64 | 4,480 | |
| West Bengal | 44,312,011 | 151 | 44,394 | ||
| Total | 4,120 (including Jammu and Kashmir) 4,033 (excluding Jammu and Kashmir) | 549,302,005 | 549,495 (including Jammu and Kashmir) 5,43,231 (excluding Jammu and Kashmir) |
Note:- http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/ElectoralLaws/HandBooks/President_Election_08062017.pdf.
The value of an MP's vote is calculated by dividing the total value of all MLAs' votes by the number of MPs. The formula for determining the number of votes held by an MP is:
ValueofanMPvote=\cfrac{ThesumofvotevalueofelectedmembersofalltheStateLegislativeAssemblies |
That is, the total Members of Parliament (Elected) = Lok Sabha (543) + Rajya Sabha (233) = 776
Value of each vote = 549,495 / 776 = 708.11, rounded to 708
Total value of votes of Parliament = 776 × 708 = 549,408
The number of votes for MPs are as follows:
| Name of the House | Number of Parliamentary seats (elective) | Value of the vote of each MP | Total value of votes for the House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lok Sabha | 543 | 708 | 384,444 |
| Rajya Sabha | 233 | 708 | 164,964 |
| Total | 776 | 708 | 549,408 |
Total number of votes for presidential electors are as follows:
| Elector | Total number of electors | Total value of votes |
|---|---|---|
| Members of Legislative Assemblies (elected) | 4,120 (including Jammu and Kashmir) 4,033 (excluding Jammu and Kashmir) | 549,495 (including Jammu and Kashmir) 5,43,231 (excluding Jammu and Kashmir) |
| Members of Parliament (elected) | 776 | 543,200 |
| Total | 4,809 (including Jammu and Kashmir) 4,722 (excluding Jammu and Kashmir) | 1,098,903 (including Jammu and Kashmir) 10,86,431 (excluding Jammu and Kashmir) |