Chapter Overview

The Union Executive (संघ की कार्यपालिका) is described in Part V, Chapter I (Articles 52–78) of the Constitution. It consists of the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, and the Attorney General for India. India follows the parliamentary system: executive power is vested in the President, a nominal head, but exercised on the advice of a Council of Ministers that answers to the Lok Sabha. This tension between formal and real power drives most Prelims statements and most Mains questions on the executive.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Explain who elects the President and how the value of each vote is calculated, including Chhattisgarh’s share of the electoral college
Describe the impeachment procedure (Art 61) and the vacancy rules, and contrast them with the Vice-President’s removal (Art 67)
Classify the President’s powers: executive, legislative, veto (Art 111), ordinance (Art 123), pardon (Art 72), Art 143 references
Assess how much discretion the President really has under Art 74
Explain the appointment, powers and position of the Prime Minister, and the 91st Amendment limits on the Council of Ministers
Distinguish the Cabinet from the Council of Ministers, and collective from individual responsibility
State the qualifications, rights and limits of the Attorney General, and compare the office with the Solicitor General and the Advocate General

Prerequisites

Preamble and Salient Features of the Constitution — why India adopted the British-style parliamentary executive
Constitutional Development (1773–1950) — the Governor-General’s powers that the President inherited in modified form

Learning Path

Follow the topics in this order:

graph TD
    A["1. The President: Election and Office
Arts 52–62, electoral college,
impeachment, vacancy"] --> B["2. Powers of the President
Art 74, veto, ordinance,
pardon, Art 143, discretion"]
    B --> C["3. The Vice-President
Arts 63–71, election by MPs,
removal, Rajya Sabha Chairman"]
    C --> D["4. PM and Council of Ministers
Arts 74–78, 91st Amendment,
collective responsibility"]
    D --> E["5. The Attorney General
Art 76, Art 88,
Solicitor and Advocate General"]
    E --> F["6. Quick Revision
One-page sheet"]
    F --> G["Next chapter:
Parliament"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers
1	The President: Election, Qualifications and Impeachment	Arts 52–62 and 71, electoral college, value of votes (Chhattisgarh MLA 129 in 2022), STV, qualifications, oath, immunity, impeachment, vacancy
2	Powers of the President	Art 74 and the 42nd/44th Amendments, executive and legislative powers, three vetoes, ordinances, five forms of pardon, Art 143 and the 2025 reference, discretion
3	The Vice-President of India	Arts 63–71, election by all MPs, removal under Art 67(b), Rajya Sabha Chairman, acting President, 2025 resignation and election
4	Prime Minister and Council of Ministers	Arts 74, 75, 77, 78, 88; 15% cap; Cabinet vs Council; collective responsibility; PM’s position
5	The Attorney General and Law Officers	Art 76, Art 88, 1987 Rules, Solicitor General, Advocate General (Art 165)
—	Quick Revision	Every article, amendment, case and office-holder on one page

Where It Is Asked

Paper	What to expect
Prelims P-I (Part 1, India GS)	Fact-based MCQs: who is in the electoral college, impeachment majorities, resignation and oath pairs, veto types, Art 72 vs Art 161, the 91st Amendment, the only Article naming the Cabinet, AG’s rights in Parliament. Statement-based and match-the-following formats are common
Mains P-III (GS-I), Constitution and Public Administration section	Short answers (“distinguish Cabinet and Council of Ministers”, “pardoning power of President and Governor”) and longer analytical answers (“Is the President a rubber stamp?”, “position of the Prime Minister”, ordinance misuse)

Exam focus

High-yield: election vs impeachment participants (nominated MPs, MLAs); Art 74 amendments (42nd binds, 44th returns once); Money Bills and Amendment Bills cannot be vetoed; Art 72 vs 161; 15% cap including the PM; VP removal majorities; AG speaks but cannot vote.
Common mistakes: “MLCs vote for the President”; “VP is impeached”; “Council is responsible to Parliament” (it is the Lok Sabha); “Solicitor General is constitutional”.
Chhattisgarh angle for Mains: 90 MLAs in the presidential electoral college (vote value 129 in 2022); State Bills reserved by the Governor under Art 200; the Governor’s parallel powers; the 13-minister cap for a 90-member Assembly; the Advocate General before the High Court at Bilaspur.

Quick Reference: The Union Executive at a Glance

Office	Article(s)	Chosen by	Qualification	Term and exit	As of 2026
President	52–62, 72, 74	Elected MPs + elected MLAs (States, Delhi, Puducherry), STV	35 years; qualified for Lok Sabha	5 years; resigns to VP; impeachment (Art 61)	Droupadi Murmu (since 25 July 2022)
Vice-President	63–71	All MPs (elected + nominated), STV	35 years; qualified for Rajya Sabha	5 years; resigns to President; removal (Art 67(b))	C.P. Radhakrishnan (since 12 Sept 2025)
Prime Minister	74, 75, 78	Appointed by the President (majority leader)	MP, or becomes one within 6 months	Confidence of the Lok Sabha	Narendra Modi (third term from 9 June 2024)
Council of Ministers	74, 75, 77	Appointed on the PM’s advice	Same as above	Collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha; max 15% of its strength	72 including PM at June 2024 swearing-in
Attorney General	76, 88	Appointed by the President	Qualified to be a SC judge	Pleasure of the President	R. Venkataramani (re-appointed to Sept 2027)

Start Learning

Begin with the first topic:

→ The President: Election, Qualifications and Impeachment