By Ravi S. Jha
NEW DELHI: The stage is finally set for presidential elections in India after ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government yesterday pulled out 71-year-old governor of Rajasthan Pratibha Patil from its hat to contest the polls. Patil has been chosen UPA's presidential candidate for the elections primarily with an aim to force a split in the opposition ranks.
Pratibha Patil If she wins the election defeating opposition candidate the veteran politician - vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat - in the nationwide polling to be held on July 19 at parliament here and state legislative assemblies, she would be the first woman to become president of India. Patil, a former table-tennis champion, is already credited for being the first and only woman governor of a state in India.
Her candidature was announced by Congress president Sonia Gandhi after consensus emerged within the UPA multiparty amalgamation on her name. The Left parties that had been troubling UPA on the issue of presidential candidature rejected Congress' choice of names like politician Shivraj Patil and veteran academician and foreign policy specialist Dr Karan Singh for India's top constitutional job.
The communists finally agreed on Rajasthan governor's name. Top Congress leaders close to Congress president told Khaleej Times that Rajasthan governor was the only candidate that the party high command decided to go with after Left parties said they would not support the name of minister for home affairs in any case.
But when Rajasthan governor's name was suggested the Left parties agreed saying she was a much better choice, and possibly had the ability to split votes against Shekhawat. Surprisingly, Left parties objected to the name of Congress leader Dr Karan Singh saying he was not the right candidate for the job owing to his certain foreign policy inclination favouring the United States. He is a former ambassador to US.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, who met Congress president and prime minister on Wednesday, made frantic efforts to convince Left parties to accept either Shivraj Patil or Dr Karan Singh's name, but the Left leaders did not relent. Karunanidhi held discussions with the Left leaders in a attempt to 'craft a consensus for a UPA candidate', but it proved futile.
A complacent Congress had a tough time dealing with Left even after the party got support from Karunanidhi, very much like Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati - stating that his party will back any candidate for the post of president that Congress would want to field. Karunanidhi met senior Left party leaders like CPM chief Prakash Karat, CPI's A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja.
But Left leaders were extremely acerbic against Shivraj Patil's candidature after he emerged as the frontrunner for the presidential polls. CPM's Karat told reporters that since Shivraj Patil was no match to the pre-eminence of Shekhawat in politics, there was a possibility of UPA even losing the presidential polls despite having the numbers. "Shekhawatji in such a situation could have got more votes than Patil. We saw it in the light of UPA's likely defeat. We didn't support his candidature for many other reasons as well. We wanted a candidate after having an absolute consensus on the name. We have found a right candidate, who now can give a tough fight to the opposition," he said.
Though arm-twisting by the Left parties within the UPA is not something new to Congress, the party high command wanted to be sure enough to have Left support in the presidential polls. It is widely believed that without Left parties support it is not possible for any UPA candidate to emerge victorious against Shekhawat, who has been known for his political integrity and high moral ground.
Strangely, many within Congress is not pleased with the choice of Rajasthan governor's name as the candidate. Though like President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil's contribution to mainstream politics is said to be minimal, but when compared with the political needs of the constitutional position, she enjoys the trust of the Congress high command that the present incumbent is not.
She has been deputy chairperson of the Upper House of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and was a minister in Maharashtra government earlier. She has been governor of Rajasthan for nearly three years now. She also headed the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee and was said to be one of the few senior leaders who enjoyed the Congress president's backing.
Patil has been elected to the Maharashtra legislative assembly five times and has been a member of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. She is a lawyer by profession; besides, she runs training institutes for the destitutes and disabled.
