Who was the first President of India?

Under Article 52 of the Constitution of India, the President is the constitutional Head of State, exercising executive power on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers under Article 74. This office came into existence when the Constitution took effect on 26 January 1950, converting India from a Dominion into a sovereign democratic republic.

1. The Constituent Assembly, functioning as India's provisional Parliament, elected Dr. Rajendra Prasad to the presidency on 24 January 1950.

2. He assumed office on 26 January 1950, the day the Constitution came into force, becoming the Republic's first President.

3. He was re-elected in the country's first Presidential election held in 1952 under the new Constitution and again in 1957, ultimately serving two consecutive terms until 1962 — the longest tenure of any Indian President to date.

Checking the other offered names against the same office:

• Dr. S. Radhakrishnan succeeded him as the second President (1962–1967), after having been the first Vice President of India (1952–1962).

• Zakir Hussain became the third President (1967–1969), the first to die in office, after serving as Vice President (1962–1967).

• Jawaharlal Nehru was independent India's first Prime Minister (1947–1964), the head of government exercising real executive power under the Cabinet system — a different office from the ceremonial Head of State.

Therefore, Dr. Rajendra Prasad — the Constituent Assembly's chosen candidate who took office on the day the Constitution commenced — was the first President of India.