We all know India is a democratic country, which means citizens have full rights to elect their leaders. Meanwhile, the President of India is the most powerful and highest ranked leader in the country. But if so, then why don’t common citizens vote to elect the president of India? What’s the reason behind this?
The reason behind why a common Indian citizen can vote for the prime minister but not the president, is related to money. Yes, you heard it right. Back in the days, when the Indian constitution was being written, the makers of the Indian constitution found that the expenses of conducting a general election was way too high.
In 2019, the expenses of the general election were around ₹60,000 crores, which means a ₹100 crore per Lok Sabha seat. This figure is the highest in the world leaving the US behind.
The expenses of the 2020 UN election were around $6.5 Billion, which was $0.5 billion less than that of general Indian elections of 2019.
Also Read: What’s the Real Cost of Printing Indian Currency Notes?
Along with being expensive, the general elections also consume a lot of time and energy of citizens of the country. This was the reason constitution makers decided to allow citizens to vote for the Prime Minister and other leaders. While those elected leaders will further elect the president of India. In this way, India saves money, time, energy and democracy all at once…
