On July 19, members of Indian Parliament will vote to select the president — a largely ceremonial role in India — for the next five years.
Thousands of women rallied in the southeast city of Chennai to launch the campaign of the presidential candidate of the United Progressive Alliance and the Left parties, Pratibha Patil, who hopes to become India’s first woman president.
Throughout her public life she had worked for the empowerment and development of women, Ms. Patil said. Recalling the glorious role of women in the freedom movement, she said many of them who participated in the struggle for Independence in response to the call of Gandhiji, had faced lathis and bullets of the colonial rulers.
She also referred to the contributions made by women in different fields in the process of making India a strong and powerful nation and called for a combined effort of the people to uphold the principles of secularism, equal respect for all faiths, social harmony and all-inclusive development.
Once in office, Patil will push for 33 percent of Parliamentary seats to be reserved for women. Currently, one in six members of Parliament are women.
Media Source: The Hindu, Indian epaper
