India's First Female President

It has been a long time since a woman held a powerful position in India's government, the last one being the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi whose family continues to remain powerful in the country's politics. Mrs. Gandhi had two sons: Rahul and Sanjay; the former rose to be prime minister while the latter was killed in an airplane accident.

Rahul Gandhi's wife Sonia is the head of the ruling Congress party, which was also Mrs. Gandhi's party. His son, Rahul, is a member of parliament and his daughter, Priyanka, campaigns for the Congress party. Sanjay Gandhi's widow Maneka and his son Varun are members of the BJP, a rival party.

However, no woman has risen to the heights of the former prime minister. Now comes news that India may have her first female president. The ruling Congress party has chosen veteran politician Pratibha Patil for this post. Ms. Patil will be the party's candidate for this largely ceremonial position in the elections next month.

Pratibha Patil, 72, is the governor of Rajasthan and was picked after Congress and its leftist allies failed to agree on other names. While this is a ceremonial position, the president has "important discretionary powers in the process of choosing a prime minister when no party wins a majority in parliamentary elections, and can also return bills sent for assent before they become law."