Our July 15, 1982 cover on then President Zail Singh

When the Constitution was framed in 1950, the President of India was given a largely ceremonial role. He was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the head of state, but his powers were circumscribed by a constitutional provision that made it imperative for him to act on the advice of the Union cabinet. In a one-party-dominated scenario, the system worked almost faultlessly. That is, if you exclude a few rubber-stamp Presidents from the Indira Gandhi years.

The arrival of coalition politics, greater political turbulence and fickle majorities have given the President an importance of his own. These days the President is called upon to apply his mind when there are no conclusive majorities or when the government takes decisions that are not exactly in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution.

As India has evolved, precedents have been set that have made the role of the President more interventionist-and by implication, politicised- than in the past. President K.R. Narayanan can hardly be accused of being a rubber stamp. He is the only President who has voted. He was the first one to ask for letters of support from political parties before forming a government and he has even turned down the Union Cabinet's request for imposition of President's rule in Bihar. In times of crises, his successors will act with these actions in mind.

This is precisely why the role of the President is important today and why India needs one who can take a holistic view of the democratic process. While India Today has written about controversial Presidents we haven't focused on presidential elections because they have rarely been contentious.

Our cover story looks at the jostle for the top job, the shadow boxing between the Government and the Opposition, and what could happen if political rivalries prevent the emergence of a consensus by July. Apart from a potentially vicious contest-very much like what happened in 1969-there is the danger of a new president assuming office on a wrong note, having been tarred by the brush of controversy. It is in the interests of the nation that a sensible consensus on the presidency emerges. It is no longer merely a ceremonial post.

(Aroon Purie)