India elects 1st female president

[Al-khiyal]

Pratibha Patil

(NEW DELHI), June 15, 2007 — India's governing coalition chose a woman as its presidential candidate Thursday, setting the stage for her to become the country's first female president.

Pratibha Patil, the governor of northwestern state of Rajashtan, was nominated by the Congress party and its allies for next month's presidential elections, said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Parliament and state legislatures choose the president, and the ruling coalition has enough votes to get its candidate elected.

The post is largely ceremonial, though the president is the supreme commander of the armed forces and has the power to declare a state of emergency in times of political crisis.

The choice of Patil, 72, surprised many political observers because she lacks national stature and is not known much outside her home state of Maharashtra.

A lawyer before entering politics, Patil became a member of the state legislature in 1962. She was appointed a minister several times in the state government between 1962 and 1985. In the following decade, she served as a member of Indian Parliament.

Her nomination followed weeks of consultations between the Congress party and its coalition partners, who reportedly opposed the names of better known candidates.

Political parties have used their choice for president as a symbolic gesture to display their secular and progressive credentials.

Hindu-majority India has had three Muslim presidents, including the incumbent A.P.J Abdul Kalam, since winning independence from Britain in 1947. It has also had a president from the minority Sikh community. Kalam's predecessor came from the bottom of the caste hierarchy.

Patil would be the first woman to hold the presidency.

"It will send a right signal," said M. Karunanidhi, leader of the regional DMK party who is believed to have pushed for Patil's nomination. DMK is a key ally of the Congress party.

While women have fared well in Indian politics in the past — Indira Gandhi served as prime minister for more than a decade from 1966 — that has not always translated into greater rights for women.

Girls in India are seen as a burdens, requiring a huge dowry that many families cannot afford. Their education is often neglected, and many don't get adequate medical treatment when ill.

India set to elect 1st female president

[Ruks]

they still bury their female babies also

[voltaire]

That's not a fair statement.



V

[Bent_Bladi]

I hope she wins... but I feel like her chances are slim. Despite what some of us girls might think - not many guys are on our side

[voltaire]

It seems views are split as to whether she can win - the DMK and some of the regional allies of the Congress think she can, whereas the Left Front (who also support the current government) are not so sure. It's difficult to tell who's right, because it's legislatures who vote rather than the population as a whole.

There again, they've elected a Muslim president before even when the saffronist BJP was in power. So it's always possible I guess.



V

[Bent_Bladi]

...because it's legislatures who vote rather than the population as a whole.

Oh - I didn't know that... well then I think her chances are increased then. If the elections were for everyone, then I'd HIGHLY doubt she'd win.

[voltaire]

This gives some idea of the voting involved.



V

Pratibha Patil prepares for presidential elections

New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) A triangular fight for the job of India's president loomed Friday - a day after United Progressive Alliance (UPA) named Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil as its surprise candidate, upsetting opposition calculations.

Although her rivals have not yet been named, Patil, 72, looks set to face the battle of the ballot as the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has continued its support for Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and the recently-formed Third Front has signalled it will support neither Patil nor Shekhawat.

The choice of Patil by the UPA and supporting Left parties - a politically shrewd move - appeared to have caught NDA leaders off-guard.

One NDA leader told IANS, "We have to reckon with the first woman president factor. Her candidature could get women votes across party lines."

Although the eight-party Third Front is yet to come out with a name, there have been clear indications from their leaders that they not willing to support a Congress or BJP candidate for the top job.

While Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Chief N Chandrababu Naidu has ruled out supporting any Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh has discounted the possibility of backing a Congress candidate. And Singh has also said his party may consider voting for a Left candidate.

The first indication that the NDA will be supporting Shekhawat came when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Thursday night rejected an appeal by Congress President Sonia Gandhi to support Patil.

In a statement, Vajpayee and BJP President Rajnath Singh took exception to the Congress and UPA partners not consulting the main opposition party before deciding on Pratibha Patil's candidature.

On paper, the odds are stacked against the NDA. Of the total 10,98,882 eligible votes in the presidential contest, Patil could win over 570,000 votes, including the Bahujan Samaj Party's 58,300 votes. BSP chief Mayawati this week declared her unconditional support to the Congress candidate.

Going by the strength of the BJP and its allies, the NDA candidate is expected to bag 354,689 votes. Unattached parties, such as the AIADMK, Samajwadi Party, RLD, TDP, AGP and MDMK - some of the Third Front's constituents - carry a total of 106,281 votes.

Even if all the Third Front parties vote for the NDA, which is not a certainty, its candidate is expected to garner a maximum of 4,60,970 votes - giving Patil a victory-margin of over 100,000 votes.