Pratibha Devisingh Patil, governor of India's western state of Rajasthan, was unexpectedly chosen as the Congress party-led ruling federal coalition's nominee to contest the presidential elections to be held on July 19.
The candidature of Patil, 72 was announced by chairwoman of the United Progressive Alliance coalition and party president, Sonia Gandhi, in New Delhi today.
``It's a matter of pride and a historic moment'' in the 60th year of the country's independence that the nominee for the president's post is a woman, Gandhi said. If elected, Patil will be the first woman to hold office as India's president.
India's elected lawmakers from the states and both houses of the federal parliament will vote to choose the successor of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whose five-year term ends on July 24. The president is the head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces. Kalam, the 75-year-old architect of India's missile program, is not likely to seek re-election.
Patil's choice as candidate for election to the top constitutional office comes as a surprise after local media speculation centered around the names of her better known and senior Congress party colleagues such as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
Patil's candidature was decided at a meeting between leaders of the Congress-led alliance and communist parties, which support Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition government. The ruling coalition allies, the communists and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which has offered support for the Congress party's nominee, control a majority in the electoral college.
Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, 83, who also hails from Rajasthan, may enter the fray as an independent candidate backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition grouping, the National Democratic Alliance.
The counting of votes in the poll to pick the country's 12th president will take place on July 21, the Election Commission of India announced yesterday.
The candidature of Patil, 72 was announced by chairwoman of the United Progressive Alliance coalition and party president, Sonia Gandhi, in New Delhi today.
``It's a matter of pride and a historic moment'' in the 60th year of the country's independence that the nominee for the president's post is a woman, Gandhi said. If elected, Patil will be the first woman to hold office as India's president.
India's elected lawmakers from the states and both houses of the federal parliament will vote to choose the successor of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whose five-year term ends on July 24. The president is the head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces. Kalam, the 75-year-old architect of India's missile program, is not likely to seek re-election.
Patil's choice as candidate for election to the top constitutional office comes as a surprise after local media speculation centered around the names of her better known and senior Congress party colleagues such as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
Patil's candidature was decided at a meeting between leaders of the Congress-led alliance and communist parties, which support Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition government. The ruling coalition allies, the communists and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which has offered support for the Congress party's nominee, control a majority in the electoral college.
Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, 83, who also hails from Rajasthan, may enter the fray as an independent candidate backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition grouping, the National Democratic Alliance.
The counting of votes in the poll to pick the country's 12th president will take place on July 21, the Election Commission of India announced yesterday.
