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UPPCS Polity Gap Sheet: President, Prime Minister, Governor.

UPPCS has asked 18 of these. 2 have not been asked yet. Lock the first list, then read the second: it holds what UPPCS has not used yet.

First, the concept

The President is the head of state but acts on the Council of Ministers' advice (Article 74, binding since the 42nd Amendment). Real power is with the Prime Minister. The same pattern repeats in the States: Governor and Chief Minister.

Two differences UPPCS loves: the Governor has some discretion and can reserve bills for the President; the President has none of his own but has the pocket veto.

✅ Already asked (18)

President

  • Electoral college · Elected MPs and MLAs (including Delhi and Puducherry); nominated members and MLCs do not vote
  • Proportional representation by single transferable vote · Used for President and Vice-President
  • Resignation to the Vice-President · Vice-President resigns to the President
  • Vacancy filled within six months; VP acts meanwhile · If no VP, the Chief Justice acts (M. Hidayatullah, 1969)
  • Veto: absolute, suspensive, pocket · No veto over Constitution Amendment Bills (24th Amendment)
  • Firsts · Rajendra Prasad only two-term President; Zakir Husain first to die in office; Pratibha Patil first woman; Droupadi Murmu first tribal woman
  • Only President elected unopposed: N. Sanjiva Reddy (1977) · V. V. Giri won on second-preference votes (1969)

Vice-President and Prime Minister

  • Vice-President's electors · All MPs of both Houses, including nominated; no MLAs
  • Removal of the Vice-President · Rajya Sabha resolution by effective majority, agreed by the Lok Sabha; 14 days' notice
  • Prime Minister from the Rajya Sabha · Indira Gandhi (1966), H. D. Deve Gowda, I. K. Gujral, Manmohan Singh
  • Caretaker and acting PMs · Gulzarilal Nanda twice (1964, 1966)
  • First non-Congress PM: Morarji Desai (1977) · First to resign; Charan Singh never faced Parliament
  • Deputy Prime Minister · Not in the Constitution; Vallabhbhai Patel first

Governor

  • Minimum age 35; holds office at the President's pleasure · One Governor may serve two or more States (7th Amendment)
  • Governor's discretion · Reserving bills, recommending President's Rule, choosing a CM in a hung House
  • Governor cannot pardon a death sentence · He can suspend, remit or commute it; only the President pardons death
  • First woman Governor: Sarojini Naidu (UP, 1947) · First woman CM: Sucheta Kripalani (UP, 1963)
  • Lieutenant Governor and Administrator · UTs run by the President through them (Article 239)

❌ Not asked yet (2)

Items marked 'asked in other exams' have come in UPSC or other state exams, not yet in UPPCS.

🔒 2 items not asked yet

President: 1 · Vice-President and Prime Minister: 1

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⚠️ The Vice-President is elected by MPs only; the President by elected MPs and MLAs. The President resigns to the Vice-President, not to the Chief Justice. A Governor can commute a death sentence but cannot pardon it.

'Asked' and 'not asked' are checked against every UPPCS question on this site. 'Not asked yet' does not mean it will surely come.

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