Who among the following was the fourth President of independent India ?

Varahagiri Venkata Giri (V.V. Giri) was the fourth President of independent India, serving from August 24, 1969, to August 24, 1974 [t1][t8]. The chronological order of Indian Presidents begins with Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1st), followed by Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (2nd), and Dr. Zakir Hussain (3rd) [t1][t5]. Following the sudden demise of Dr. Zakir Hussain in May 1969, V.V. Giri initially served as the Acting President before resigning to contest the presidential election as an independent candidate [c1][c4]. He won the election with the support of Indira Gandhi, defeating the official Congress candidate Neelam Sanjiva Reddy [c4]. While Neelam Sanjiva Reddy later became the 6th President and Giani Zail Singh the 7th, V.V. Giri remains the fourth individual to hold the substantive office of the President [t1][t6].

Sources

1. [1] http://www.presidentofindia.gov.in/former-presidents
2. [2] https://www.jaincollege.ac.in/blogs/list-of-indian-president
3. [3] Politics in India since Independence, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System > Presidential election, 1969 > p. 83
4. [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Political Journey after Independence > p. 667