Article 55

Proportional Representation and Parity in Presidential Election

Official heading: “Manner of election of President”

Check this article against the official editionAwaiting human legal review

Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part V, Article 55, printed pages 26–27
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Article 55 prescribes the mathematical formula for weighting votes to secure uniformity among States and parity between the States and the Union, conducted via proportional representation with a single transferable vote.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 55 establishes two fundamental principles for presidential voting: uniformity in the scale of representation of different States relative to their population, and parity between the total votes cast by all States together and the total votes cast by Parliament.

To prevent populous States from overpowering smaller ones and to ensure federal equity, each MLA’s vote value is calculated by dividing the State’s population by the number of elected MLAs and then dividing the quotient by 1,000. The total value of all State MLA votes combined is then divided by the total number of elected MPs to determine each MP’s vote value.

Clause (3) mandates that the election must be held by secret ballot using the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (STV). To prevent political incentives tied to population expansion, the Explanation freezes the population figures used for vote values to the 1971 census until the first census taken after 2026.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

In a presidential election, an MLA from Uttar Pradesh and an MLA from Sikkim cast their ballots.

Core takeaway: Under Article 55, the UP MLA’s vote has a higher numerical weight than the Sikkim MLA’s vote because of population ratios, ensuring per-capita equality across state electorates.

Illustrative Notice: The vote calculation is strictly regulated by the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and disputes can only be adjudicated by the Supreme Court under Article 71.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 55 sets out the mathematical and procedural mechanism for electing the President.

Uniformity among States: Balances population size against assembly representation.
Union-State Parity: Total vote value of all MLAs in India roughly equals total vote value of all MPs.
Single Transferable Vote: Voters rank candidates in order of preference to ensure majority support.
Census freeze: Uses 1971 census population benchmark pursuant to the 42nd and 84th Amendments until post-2026 figures.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) As far as practicable, there shall be uniformity in the scale of representation of the different States at the election of the President. (2) For the purpose of securing such uniformity among the States inter se as well as parity between the States as a whole and the Union, the number of votes which each elected member of Parliament and of the Legislative Assembly of each State is entitled to cast at such election shall be determined in the following manner:— (a) every elected member of the Legislative Assembly of a State shall have as many votes as there are multiples of one thousand in the quotient obtained by dividing the population of the State by the total number of the elected members of the Assembly; (b) if, after taking the said multiples of one thousand, the remainder is not less than five hundred, then the vote of each member referred to in sub-clause (a) shall be further increased by one; (c) each elected member of either House of Parliament shall have such number of votes as may be obtained by dividing the total number of votes assigned to the members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States under sub-clauses (a) and (b) by the total number of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament, fractions exceeding one-half being counted as one and other fractions being disregarded. (3) The election of the President shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot. Explanation.—In this article, the expression "population" means the population as ascertained at the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published: Provided that the reference in this Explanation to the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published shall, until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 have been published, be construed as a reference to the 1971 census.

Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata

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Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part V, Article 55, printed pages 26–27 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource