Race to Rashtrapati Bhavan: Why India’s 7th President Neelam Reddy was elected unopposed

The election for India's head of state was required in 1977 due to the unexpected death of the sitting President Fakruddin Ali Ahmed. It still holds the record for being the only time that India's President was chosen without a vote-counting process. 

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was elected to the highest constitutional post in India despite the fact that 37 people had submitted nominations.

Ahmed breathed his last on 11 February, 1977, a day after the Lok Sabha polls had commenced following two years of Emergency. Vice President B D Jatti had assumed office as acting President, under Article 65(1) of the Constitution. As per the rules, an election to fill the vacancy in the office of the President was required to be held within six months from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy.

Elections to 11 state assemblies were also scheduled between June-July the same year and the presidential election was notified only on 4 July, 1977.

However, necessary steps to fill the vacancy could not be taken immediately as India headed into General Elections on February 10, 1977, which stretched on till May 13, 1977. After that, 11 states headed to Assembly elections in June-July.

Ironically, the electoral college comprising 524 newly-elected Lok Sabha members, 232 Rajya Sabha members, and legislators from 22 state assemblies, did not have to cast their votes in the presidential poll as Reddy was the only candidate left in the fray as nomination papers of 36 other aspirants were rejected.

“After 3.00 p.m. on the last date fixed for withdrawal of candidatures, July 21, the Returning Officer declared the result of election under section 8(1) of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952 and Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy was declared elected unopposed. This was the first time when a candidate was declared elected to the highest office of the President of India without a contest (sic),” the ECI document reads.

Section 8 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952 states the procedure in contested and uncontested elections. It says that if there is only one candidate who has been validly nominated after the expiry of the period within which candidatures may be withdrawn and the sole candidate has not withdrawn his candidature, the Returning Officer may declare that candidate to be duly elected to the office of President (or Vice-President, as the case may be).

The Chief Election Commissioner signed and forwarded the Home Secretary's notice of Reddy's election as President of India on July 21. The Home Secretary read the announcement at the time of assumption of office by the President on July 25, 1977.

The lowest value of votes was for the MLAs from Sikkim (seven) and the highest value of votes was for the MLAs from Uttar Pradesh (208). The value of votes was calculated on the basis of the 1971 Census.

In the 1969 presidential elections, Reddy was the runner-up with 3.13 lakh votes and VV Giri was elected as the President with 4.01 lakh votes.