President's special address

Polity & Governance glossary

Also called: Article 87 · Topic: Parliamentary Procedure, Committees and Privileges · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Under Article 87, the President addresses both Houses of Parliament sitting together on two occasions:

  • at the first session after each general election;
  • at the first session of every year.

The speech is written by the government. It sets out the government's policies and its programme for the coming year. Each House then debates a motion of thanks for the address, which is put to a vote. If the motion is defeated in the Lok Sabha, the government is defeated.

Example

Each year, the budget session opens with the President's address to both Houses in a joint meeting. The motion of thanks is debated in the days after it.

Don't confuse with

  • Address under Article 86: the President may address either House, or both together, at any other time. Only the Article 87 address is required by the Constitution.
  • Joint sitting (Article 108): a meeting of both Houses held to settle a disagreement over a bill. It is not a ceremonial address.

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