Eligibility Criteria and Disqualifications for President
Official heading: “Qualifications for election as President”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part V, Article 58, printed page 28
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1. In One Sentence
Article 58 sets out the essential qualifications for presidential candidates—citizenship, minimum age of 35, and qualification for Lok Sabha—and bars individuals holding an office of profit under the government.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 58 prescribes the eligibility criteria required for any person seeking election as President of India: they must be a citizen of India, must have completed the age of thirty-five years, and must possess the qualifications required to become a member of the Lok Sabha.
Clause (2) establishes a strict conflict-of-interest bar: a candidate is disqualified if they hold any "office of profit" under the Government of India, the government of any State, or any local or public authority controlled by those governments.
The Explanation creates a crucial exception to the office-of-profit rule: sitting political officeholders—including the President, Vice-President, State Governors, and Union or State Ministers—are not treated as holding an office of profit for the purpose of contesting the election.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A sitting Union Cabinet Minister or State Governor files nomination papers to contest the upcoming presidential election.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 58 specifies positive qualifications and negative conflicts of interest for presidential aspirants.
- Positive qualifications: Indian citizenship, minimum age 35, and Lok Sabha eligibility.
- Office of profit disqualification prevents state employees and bureaucrats from leveraging public resources.
- Express exceptions protect active political leaders (Ministers, Governors, VP) from resignation requirements during candidacy.
- Nomination rules, security deposits, and proposers/seconders are regulated by the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part V, Article 58, printed page 28 • 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.