By MUNEEZA NAQVI
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 19, 2007; 10:52 AM
NEW DELHI -- Lawmakers voted Thursday in an election widely expected to give India its first female president, although the milestone has been marred by controversy and mudslinging.
Several thousand lawmakers and members of state legislatures cast ballots in Parliament and state assemblies across India in the contest that will likely see Pratibha Patil named to the largely ceremonial post. The results will be announced Saturday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was one of the first to vote, flashing a victory sign to reporters afterward in a show of confidence that bellied the difficult path for the ruling Congress party to ensure victory for its candidate.
While Congress and its allies control a majority of the votes, victory had been in doubt as the coalition partners squabbled over a suitable candidate.
The choice of Patil, the 72-year-old governor of the northwestern state of Rajasthan, was supposed to ensure a smooth ride to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the massive 340-room, colonial era presidential palace. And the fact that she would be the first female president in a country where women are often discriminated against was an added bonus.
But her candidacy has been dogged by unprecedented mudslinging from the moment it was agreed upon by coalition members, marring the usually genteel process of presidential elections.
Analysts say Patil, who is largely unknown on the national stage, was selected for her unswerving devotion to Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Congress party, and Gandhi's powerful family, which has historically controlled the party.
"Loyalty seems to have been the major criterion here," said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan.
L.K. Advani, a senior leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said Patil was "unfit to occupy the highest constitutional office."
Congress and Patil have been further embarrassed by revelations about her family.
A court is investigating the involvement of her husband in the suicide of a schoolteacher at a school he ran after he allegedly withheld wages. Her brother is being investigated for alleged involvement in the killing of a party worker.
She has also faced allegations that a bank she set up to supply women with loans collapsed after her family failed to pay back large sums of money.
Patil has not helped her cause, annoying Muslim leaders by saying Indian women should abandon head scarves.
Despite the scandals, women have rallied to her support, believing that a female figurehead would boost their standing in society.
A pre-election survey of 1,238 women conducted by the Outlook news magazine in mid-June indicated that 68 percent of female voters felt Patil was the right choice for president. The survey had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
"In a democracy like India symbols matter a lot and so her election will have an overall positive impact," said women's rights activist Ranjana Kumari.