- Many Indian adults believe their current head of state should keep his position, according to a poll by C-Voter published in The Week. 74.8 per cent of respondents would like A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to seek another term as president.

In India, the president is elected to a five-year term by an electoral college which includes the members of the two chambers of Parliament—the House of the People and the House of the States—as well as the lawmakers from each of the country's state legislative assemblies.

Kalam, a renowned nuclear and space scientist, took over as president in July 2002. India's head of state is the supreme commander of the armed forces, has the power to returned unsigned bills to Parliament, and can grant pardons or reduce the sentences of convicted persons.

A coalition led by the India National Congress (INC) secured 34.6 per cent of the vote and 217 seats in the House of the People in the 2004 legislative election. While Sonia Gandhi was the leader of the INC, and therefore the first choice to take over as head of government, the party eventually nominated Manmohan Singh.

Singh has served as prime minister since May 2004, becoming the country's first Sikh head of government. The Oxford-educated economist previously acted as finance minister in the administration of Narasimha Rao in the early 1990s.

Polling Data

Would you like A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to seek another term as president?

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