Pratibha Patil becomes first woman president
Pratibha Patil has won the race to become India's President as she defeated opposition candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: Pratibha Patil has become the first woman President of India, after defeating NDA-backed independent candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat by a comfortable margin on Saturday.
The 72-year-old Congress loyalist held several posts in Maharashtra besides being Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha and Governor of Rajasthan but her role in the cooperative movement in her state was at the centre of a controversy in the run-up to the presidential election.
Set to break the male bastion in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Patil, fielded by the UPA-Left combine, brings with her a wealth of experience both as a politician and an administrator.
Patil,will be the country's 13th President.
Nearly eight years after her tenure as a Lok Sabha member ended in 1996, Patil, a staunch supporter of the Nehru-Gandhi family, had gone into a virtual political wilderness before she was brought in as Rajasthan's Governor in November 2004.
ADVERTISEMENT
Born on December 19, 1934 in Jalgaon district, Patil practised there as a lawyer before joining politics. She was a member of the Maharashtra assembly from 1962 to 1985, and served as a minister holding portfolios like urban development and housing, education, tourism, parliamentary affairs, public health and social welfare and cultural affairs. She worked her way up from the rank of deputy minid Pawar, as head of the Purogami Lok Dal, became Maharshtra chief minister for the first time in July 1979.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
