Explained | How is the Prime Minister of India elected

In India, the Prime Minister is in charge of running the government. They work with their chosen group of Ministers to make important decisions. Even though the President of India is the head of the executive, the Prime Minister holds the real power.

India follows a system where the Prime Minister of India leads the government and is and chief of the executive of the government. In this type of system, the President or their representative usually just does ceremonial duties and acts on the advice of the prime minister.

To become the Prime Minister, one has to be a member of Parliament within the six months of their tenure. The Prime Minister also has to work with other government Ministers to get laws passed by the parliament.

The Prime Minister of India is not directly elected by the people of the country, they are elected by the president. The leader of the winning party, who wins with majority in Lok Sabha becomes the Prime Minister.

Here we list down the eligibility criteria that is needed for becoming the prime minister of India:

• The candidate has to be a citizen of India and be a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.

• If they are a member of Lok Sabha, they have to be above 25 years of age; and if they are a member of the Rajya Sabha, they must be above age 30.

• The candidate should not be holding any office or profit under the central or state government.

• Once a candidate is elected for the position of prime minister, they must leave any posts they might have been on in any private or government companies.

• The candidate must not have any criminal charging against them.

• Upon being elected, as per the Third Schedule of the Constitution of India, the winning candidate should make and subscribe the oath of office and secrecy, in the presence of the president of India, before resuming duty.

(Source: The Constitution of India)