India was on Thursday poised to get its first ever female president, with the main opposition conceding early defeat in the parliamentary vote for the new head of state.
NEW DELHI: India was on Thursday poised to get its first ever female president after the main opposition Hindu nationalists conceded early defeat in the parliamentary vote for the new head of state.
"Pratibha Patil will win, she is now the president-elect," a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said just before balloting in the electoral college of federal and state lawmakers was to end at 5:00 pm.
However, the official, who asked that his name not be used, said Patil had 'fallen in the eyes of the Indian people,' referring to the scandals that have dogged the ruling Congress candidate in the run-up to the vote.
Patil, 72, has been hit by accusations that she protected her brother in a murder probe and shielded her husband in a suicide scandal, as well as allegations of involvement in a slew of financial scams.
Although Patil, who is governor of the state of Rajasthan, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, presidential candidates and their families are traditionally expected to be free from even the slightest whiff of scandal.
The BJP had backed incumbent vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who was the only other candidate in the race.
The Congress and its legislative allies were also claiming victory for Patil.
"The nation celebrates the victory of the first woman president of the country," said Saifuddin Soz of Kashmir's National Conference party, which backs India's ruling Congress-led coalition.
The 4,896-strong electoral college comprises 776 federal MPs and 4,120 lawmakers from India's 29 states and one union territory.
The official results are due on Saturday.
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