Pratibha Patil likely to be India’s first woman Rashtrapati

WITH THE NOMINATION of Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil as UPA candidate for the presidential polls, it is very likely that a woman will enter the hallowed portals of the presidential palace. She also happened to be the first woman Governor of Rajasthan, when she was appointed three years ago.

 

Pratibha Patil proved to be the proverbial dark horse in the battle for the post of president as her name was not even speculated in the media as the likely candidate for this seat.

 

While the bigwigs including Shivraj Patil, Karan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee fought it out among themselves, the lady with an impeccable record of loyalty to the Gandhi family came out the winner.

 

Pipping many a veteran politicians, the Rajasthan Governor’s candidature will surprise many in the political circles. But those knowing the internal working of the Congress would conclude that loyalty to the Gandhi family, non-controversial persona and vast political experience were the factors that went in her favour.

 

Perhaps it was inevitable that after having a Muslim as a President and Sikh as Prime Minister, India should have a female president as it represents the largest minority group in the country.

 

With the Bahujan Samaj Party and Karunanidhi’s avowedly supporting the UPA candidate, the entry of Patil as the first woman president seems to be a foregone conclusion.

 

Importantly, her presence in the Rashtrapati Bhavan will definitely give a boost to the morale of Indian women, many of who are still living in a primitive era.

 

Having vast political experience, Patil as President of India could deftly play an important role in taking up the collective cause of Indian women. Patil has been closely associated with women issues during her career, she has been instrumental in establishing hostels for women in Mumbai and Delhi, a Mahila Vikas Mahamandal, a government owned entity, a Mahila Cooperative Bank in Jalgaon and several more initiatives.

 

 

Pratibha Patil is presently the Governor of Rajasthan and she is a veteran Congress leader. Earlier she was the Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha. She is Rajasthan’s first female Governor. She is also currently the only woman State Governor in India.

 

She hails from Maharashtra and was President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.

 

She was Table Tennis Champion in her college days. She holds MA in Arts and a Law Degree. Beside her political career she also manages her own educational institutes for the poor.