NEW DELHI, July 19 (UPI) -- India may get its first woman president if a candidate chosen by the Congress Party-led ruling alliance wins in the balloting.
After days of controversies and political bickering, some 4,500 members of India's parliament and state legislatures began voting Thursday for Prathiba Patil or her only opponent Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, India's vice president, the BBC reported. India's president, a largely ceremonial office, isn't elected by popular vote but by state and federal lawmakers.
Patil, the governor of Rajasthan state, is favored to win because of the strong support she enjoys from the ruling alliance. Shekhawat belongs to India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
The results will be announced Saturday. If Patil wins, she will become India's 13th president since India became independent in 1947. The new president will succeed A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, an eminent scientist regarded as father of India's space program.
Patil had come under attack with the opposition accusing her in a cooperative bank scandal, which was rejected by the Congress Party.
Congress in turn was critical of Shekhawat, alleging he was suspended as a policeman in 1947 in a bribe case. His party denied the charges.
