Question

Name the President of India who was elected in 1969.

Hint:

V.V. Giri is the only independent candidate to be elected to the office of the President of India. His victory in 1969 marked the official end of unified Congress dominance.

Answer 1

Step 1: The Sudden Presidential Vacancy of 1969:
The third President of India, Dr. Zakir Husain, passed away in office on May 3, 1969. This necessitated a premature presidential election, which became the ultimate battleground for control over the Congress party.

Step 2: The Two Rival Factions and Candidates:
The old guard of the Congress party (known as the Syndicate) nominated the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, as the official party candidate. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, determined to break the Syndicate's control, secretly encouraged the sitting Vice President, Varahagiri Venkata Giri (V.V. Giri), to file his nomination as an independent candidate.

Step 3: The Call for a "Conscience Vote" and Victory:
Indira Gandhi famously called for a “conscience vote” among MPs and MLAs, tacitly instructing them to vote against her own party's official candidate. V.V. Giri won the historic election by a narrow margin through second-preference votes. This led directly to the formal split of the Indian National Congress into Congress (O) led by the Syndicate and Congress (R) led by Indira Gandhi.