The Prime Minister of India is appointed by the President of India. However, this appointment is based on the Prime Minister's ability to command the confidence of the majority of the members in the Lok Sabha, the directly elected lower house of Parliament. Typically, the President appoints the leader of the party or coalition that has a majority in the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister

. If no party has a clear majority, the President has the discretion to appoint a Prime Minister who is likely to command a majority in the Lok Sabha, often the leader of the largest party or coalition, who must then prove their majority by winning a vote of confidence in the house

. In summary:

• The President appoints the Prime Minister.
• The Prime Minister must have majority support in the Lok Sabha.
• The Prime Minister can be a member of either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha (upper house), but must be a member of Parliament within six months of appointment

This system follows the parliamentary democracy model where the President's role in the appointment is largely formal and guided by the democratic mandate expressed through the Lok Sabha elections