The executive power of the Union vests in:

The correct answer is B) The President. Article 53(1) states that the executive power of the Union is vested in the President, to be exercised directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution.

• A) Prime Minister: The PM is the real executive in daily governance, but not in law. Article 74 provides that the Council of Ministers, headed by the PM, aids and advises the President, who acts on that advice.
• C) Council of Ministers: It is the advisory body under Article 74. Its advice is generally binding on the President, but the executive power still formally belongs to the President.
• D) Parliament: Parliament is the legislature (Article 79). It makes laws and controls the executive, but it does not hold executive power.

The core concept is the distinction between the nominal (formal) executive and the real executive, which is central to India's parliamentary system. For Mains, this helps explain accountability: the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha under Article 75(3).

Trap: Candidates pick the PM because the PM is the real executive in day-to-day governance. The question asks what the Constitution vests, and that is the President under Article 53.