SIXTH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 1974
The term of Shri V.V. Giri as the President of India expired on 23-08-1974. An election was held before that date.
CHANGES IN THE LAW
The experience of the past five elections to the office of the President held in 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967 and 1969 had revealed that persons often offered themselves as candidates for the highest office of President without even a remote chance of getting elected. Another matter of concern was the light-hearted manner in which persons resorted to a court of law for challenging the election to the office of the President. In order to remedy these shortcoming, the Government, on the recommendations of the Commission, got an Act passed by Parliament on 23-03-1974 amending the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Act, 1952. The main features of the amendment are:
1. The nomination paper of a Presidential candidate shall be subscribed by at least 10 electors as proposers and 10 electors as seconders.
2. The security deposit is made Rs.2,500/-.
3. Election petition challenging an election can be presented only before the Supreme Court by any contesting candidate or by minimum 20 electors joined together as petitioners.
4. The timetable for the elections to the office of the President and Vice-President was made statutory. It was provided that the last date for making nominations shall be the 14th day after the publication of the notification calling the election, the scrutiny will be on the day following such last date for filing nominations, the last date for withdrawal will be the second day following the date of scrutiny and the date of poll, if necessary, shall be not earlier than the fifteenth day after the last date for withdrawal. In view of the extensive amendments, the Central Government in consultation with the Election Commission issued a new set of Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, replacing the Rules of 1952.
RETURNING OFFICER
The Secretary of the Rajya Sabha.
ASSTT. RETURNING OFFICERS
The Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat and Secretaries of various State Legislative Assemblies.
ELECTION PROGRAMME
1. Notified on 16.07.1974
2. Last date for making nomination 30.07.1974
3. Scrutiny of Nominations on 31.07.1974
4. Last date for withdrawal 02.08.1974
5. Date of Poll 17.08.1974 (10 A.M. to 5.P.M.)
6. Counting votes 20.08.1974
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
The Electoral College consisted of elected members of Lok Sabha [521], Rajya Sabha [230] and 21 State Legislative Assemblies [3654]. Thus the total electors were 4,405. However, the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat with 182 members was not in existence as it was dissolved on 15-03-1974 and the new House could not be constituted before the Presidential election.
NO. OF VOTES FOR EACH MEMBER
Each Member of Parliament had 723 votes and the number of votes for each Member of the State Legislative Assemblies differed from State to State on the basis of the population. The lowest value of votes was for the MLAs of Nagaland State (09) and the highest value of votes was for the MLAs of Uttar Pradesh (208). The value of votes was calculated on the basis of 1971 census.
CANDIDATES
The contesting candidates and the votes secured by them were as follows:
| Sl. No | CANDIDATE | VOTES POLLED |
| 1. | Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | 7,65,587 |
| 2. | Shri Tridib Chaudhuri | 1,89,196 |
| TOTAL | 9,54,783 |
Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was declared as elected and the notification announcing this was published on 20-08-1974. He assumed the office of the President of India on 24-08-1974.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The announcement of election of Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed as President of India was signed by the Chief Election Commissioner on 20-08-1974 and sent to the Home Secretary on 21-08-1974. The announcement was read by the Home Secretary at the time of assumption of office by the President-elect on 24-08-1974.
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