Skip to content Skip to navigation

India’s First Woman President

After months of speculation, mud slinging, leg pulling by the political parties finally we have got ourselves a new president- a woman president at that which by the way is a first. History has been made with this new president as Pratibha Patil is the first woman president of India who has made inroads into the Raisena Hill.

From her days as a lawyer in Jalgaon to becoming the first woman President of India, Pratibha Patil has seen the rough and tumble of politics including an unusually bitter campaign on her way to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

United Progressive Alliance-Left nominee Pratibha Patil has been elected as the 13th President of India. She won the Presidential election by a huge 3 lakh margin defeating National Democratic Alliance-backed independent candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Saturday and became the first woman head of state in a bitterly-contested poll that saw some cross-voting from the Bharatiya Janata Party. In the final count, Pratibha got a vote value of 6, 38,116 while Shekhawat secured 3,31, 306 in an electoral college of 10.98 lakh
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, Pratibha, fielded by the United Progressive Alliance-Left combine, brings with her a wealth of experience both as a politician and an administrator.

The media was agog with the developments however minor they may be sending the public to a frenzy of curiosity regarding there future president. Many candidates were considered and rejected with even the outgoing President Kalam joining the fray for a while. The former president with his non controversial persona, modesty and unkempt hair had won the hearts of the public at large and they were keen on seeing him for a second term but the quagmire of Indian politics is too complicated to accept the simple logic of the common man.

India should have more Presidents like Kalam. Instead of political people the President’s office should be occupied by non political high achievers especially in the field of science and education whose contribution enriches the image of the nation both nationally as well as internationally. Instead of an Amitabh Bachchan of the entertainment industry we should go in for personalities like an Amartya Sen, Abdul Kalam etc people with a vision of development and progress and above the swamp and sickness of politics.

Add new comment

Random Stories

LS polls in Assam on April 16, 23

3 Mar 2009 - 4:10am | editor
Assam is all set to go to the Lok Sabha polls in two phases. Announcing this on Monday in Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopaloswamy said the state will go to the first phase of polls on April...

Assam, an ignored tale of failed flood management

1 Aug 2020 - 5:33pm | Mayuri Purkayastha
Growing up in Assam was different in a lot of ways. It was far removed from the concept of the concrete jungle in many ways, one could see green hillocks from their houses, the sheer joy of draping a...

PII-ICRC media workshop begins

6 Sep 2008 - 1:09am | Nava Thakuria
Journalists from different parts of India with advocacy groups had met at Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh in central India today for a wide range discussion on the freedom of press as well...

Sikh delegation visits Chapormukh Gurudwara

30 Aug 2017 - 9:52pm | Dibya J Borthakur
Prominent Sikh leader and Delhi MLA Manjinder Sirsa expressed grave concern over the socio economic condition of the community in Assam.  Talking to reporters after visiting the Mataji Gurdwar...

Other Contents by Author

Arrested media baron Manoranjana Sinh is undergoing tretment at a local hospital in Kolkata. CBI officials probing Saradha scam rushed her to the hospital when she complained breathing difficulties during the custodial interrogation.She was to be produced before a special court in Alipore on Tuesday as the CBI remand expired. CBI officials were expected to seek her in their remand for a few again.
Assam Don Bosco University and Educational Leadership are hosting a national conference in collaboration with Mizoram University department of Mass Communication. Dr. K. V. Nagaraj, Professor at Mizoram University and Former Pro Vice Chancellor addressed ADBU students of mass communication and educational leadership on Wednesday.The conference is being organized in collaboration with Mizoram University Mass Communication department and ADBU Departments of Educational Leadership and Mass Communication from November 2 and 3.A Pre-conference Colloquium for students and research scholars is scheduled for October 31 on ‘Media, Culture and Society.’  
The city based media persons are suffering from various pain related ailments relating to their neck, shoulder and backs. It was found during a daylong physiotherapy camp, which was organized at Guwahati Press Club on 12 September 2015.Organized by the College of Physiotherapy and Medical Sciences Rehabilitation & Research Centre, Bamunimaidam (a unit of Purbanchal Educational Welfare Society), the camp covered more than 50 scribes who were offered on spot treatment and consultancies.Attended by physicians Dr Trailokya Saikia & Dr NN Sarma with physiotherapists Dr Ujwal Bhattacharya, Dr Abhijit Kalita, Dr Pooja Saikia and Dr Kritika Boruah, the camp also helped the scribes to check...
A NDFB-S rebel identified as Buddhiram Basumatary alias Birkw of Amteka Debrabil in Chirang district was apprehanded from Karigaon area in Kokrajhar by security forces belonging to the Army on Sunday morning. One factory made 7.65 mm pistol with three live rounds amunitions was recovered from him. He was later handed over to Kokrajhar police.
Congress is gearing up to form the Tiwa Autonomous Council after the ruling party won 15 out of 31 seats. The party is trying to get the support of one candidate to complete the formality. “We are in touch with several candidates who have assured us support to form the council,” said a senior Congress leader. The party needs 16 seats to formally form the council. The ruling party falls short of one seat. A senior party leader told ne24 that it would be a problem for the party since several candidates are in touch with them. The ruling party got 15 seats while the Ramakanta Deori-led Tiwa Aikya Manch got 10 seats. BJP had to remain satisfied with only 3 seats while AGP got 2 seats.
The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) in association with Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Club of India (New Delhi), Mumbai Press Club and Indian Federation of Working Journalists have organized a two day national consultation on media freedom and the law on 8 & 9 August next.To be held at New Delhi Press Club, the national meet is expected to highlight the burning issues relating to the frequent attacks on journalists, sexual harassment and criminal defamation cases against the media persons and also appropriate response to those attacks on press freedom including legal measures.Senior journalist and media commentators like Paranjoy Guha Thakurtha, Bharat...
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam passed away at Shillong on Monday. He collasped at a function in Indian Institute of Management Shillong duering a lecture. He was rushed to the ICU of Bethani Hospital where he was declared dead. He was 83. Condolence from variuosusection of people and leaders are pouring in.Deeply saddened at the sudden demise of the former president of India Dr. APAJ Abdul Kalam. He was an inspiration to an entire generation.— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) July 27, 2015Death of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is a great loss to the country. He was a common men's President and an icon of the young generation...— Tarun Gogoi (@tarun_gogoi) July 27, 2015RIP #APJ...
A non resident Indian (NRI) has taken upon himself the mission of paying back to society by spending his annual vacation and home visit giving motivational lectures to school and college students. He has been doing this for the past 33 years.“I do not do it for the money. It is my way of paying back to society for the many blessings which I have received over the years,” confessed Dr. George Kallingal a Professor Emeritus at University of Guam (USA) who visited East and northeast India spending time in schools and colleges in Bengal, Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya.His hour-long presentation combined academic achievement, spirituality, and realities of young people into sharp perspective....
As many as 3600 BJP leaders and workers are waiting to be contested from 126 assembly constituencies early next year. State BJP president Siddharth Bhattacharya on Wednesday submitted before the party’s central leadership the list of the ticket aspirants in New Delhi.BJP sources told Assam Times that the state unit has forwarded all applications to the party leadership for finalizing 126 candidates. The party leadership is believed to have been deploying a panel of top leaders to study the winning ability of the applicants.   
Prime minister Narendra Modi is facing flak across the state for not appointing Rupsikha Bora as OIL chief. Even after the public enterprises selection committee shortlisted the name of the senior finance director three months back, the prime minister’s office did not prefer the first one chartered accountant from the north east as OIL chairperson and managing director.In his letter, Chief minister Tarun Gogoi urged prime minister Narendra Modi to confirm Bora’s appointment in the helm of OIL.Many local organizations in the state staged dharna in front of the OIL headquarters in Duliajan alleging PMO’s discrimination.A section of the protesters further burnt the effigy of the prime...