2007 Indian presidential election
The Election Commission of India held indirect 13th presidential elections of India on 19 July 2007.[1] Pratibha Patil with 638,116 votes won over her nearest rival Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who got 331,306 votes. This result meant that Pratibha Patil became the first female President of India.
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Candidates
Official candidates
On 14 June, Pratibha Patil, the governor of the state of Rajasthan, was declared by UPA as its candidate for the election. The Left and other allies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) such as Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) announced their support on Patil's candidature. Shiv Sena, an ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also supported Patil's candidature. The move came as a surprise as Patil's name was not mentioned among the probables by UPA so far.
Supported unofficially by the NDA, the then Vice President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat filed his nomination as an independent candidate on 25 June 2007.
Process
As per the electoral calculation following were the number of votes for respective political parties.
| Name of party | Combined value of vote |
|---|---|
| Indian National Congress | 281,015 |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 253,269 |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 81,722 |
| Bahujan Samaj Party | 62,862 |
| Samajwadi Party | 58,403 |
| Rashtriya Janata Dal | 32,727 |
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 29,752 |
| Janata Dal (United) | 27,057 |
| Nationalist Congress Party | 23,788 |
| Shiv Sena | 22,178 |
| Biju Janata Dal | 19,709 |
| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 19,280 |
| Communist Party of India | 15,130 |
| Telugu Desam Party | 14,744 |
| Shiromani Akali Dal | 13,356 |
| Janata Dal (Secular) | 11,956 |
| Pattali Makkal Katchi | 8,156 |
| Trinamool Congress | 8,070 |
| Telangana Rashtra Samithi | 7,388 |
| All India Forward Bloc | 7,365 |
| Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | 7,128 |
| Revolutionary Socialist Party | 6,360 |
| Rashtriya Lok Dal | 4,912 |
| Asom Gana Parishad | 4,908 |
| Lok Jan Shakti Party | 4,742 |
| Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | 4,140 |
| Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 3,904 |
| Indian National Lok Dal | 2,940 |
| Jammu & Kashmir People's Democratic Party | 2,568 |
| Indian Union Muslim League | 2,480 |
| Sikkim Democratic Front | 1,633 |
| Nagaland People's Front | 1,587 |
| Mizo National Front | 1,584 |
| Kerala Congress | 1,316 |
| All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | 1,300 |
| Assam United Democratic Front | 1,160 |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation | 1,041 |
| Republican Party of India (Athvale) | 883 |
| Swatantra Bharat Paksh | 883 |
| Kerala Congress (Mani) | 760 |
| Samata Party | 717 |
| Bharatiya Navshakti Party | 708 |
| Indian Federal Democratic Party | 708 |
| National Loktantrik Party | 708 |
| Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | 708 |
| Jan Surajya Shakti | 700 |
| West Bengal Socialist Party | 604 |
| Gorkhaland National Liberation Front | 453 |
| Rashtriya Parivartan Dal | 416 |
| Gondvana Ganatantra Party | 393 |
| United Goans Democratic Party | 372 |
| All Jharkhand Students Union | 352 |
| Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | 352 |
| Peasants and Workers Party of India | 350 |
| Orissa Gana Parishad | 298 |
| Janata Party | 296 |
| Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party | 288 |
| Rashtriya Samanta Dal | 262 |
| Akhil Bharatiya Loktantrik Congress | 208 |
| Bharatiya Janshakti Party | 208 |
| Jan Morcha | 208 |
| Rashtriya Swabhimaan Party | 208 |
| Uttar Pradesh United Democratic Front | 208 |
| Uttarakhand Kranti Dal | 192 |
| Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | 176 |
| Jharkhand Party | 176 |
| Akhil Bharitiya Sena | 175 |
| Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangha | 175 |
| Akhil Jan Vikas Party | 173 |
| Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra | 156 |
| United Democratic Party | 153 |
| Congress (Secular) | 152 |
| Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) | 152 |
| Indian National League | 152 |
| JSS | 152 |
| Kerala Congress (Balakrishna) | 152 |
| Kerala Congress (Secular) | 152 |
| Democratic Socialist Party | 151 |
| Jharkhand Party (Naren) | 151 |
| Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha | 131 |
| Kannada Nadu Party | 131 |
| Republican Party of India | 131 |
| Rajasthan Samajik Nyaya Manch | 129 |
| Asom Gana Parishad (Pragatishel) | 116 |
| Autonomous State Demand Committee | 116 |
| Loko Sanmilon | 116 |
| Manipur People's Party | 90 |
| Democratic Movement | 72 |
| Jammu & Kashmir Awami League | 72 |
| Meghalaya Democratic Party | 68 |
| National People's Party | 54 |
| Himachal Vikas Congress | 51 |
| Loktantrik Morcha Himachal Pradesh | 51 |
| Nationalist Democratic Movement | 45 |
| Pondicherry Munnetra Congress | 48 |
| Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party | 40 |
| Save Goa Front | 40 |
| Hill State People's Democratic Party | 34 |
| Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement | 34 |
| Mizoram People's Conference | 24 |
| Arunachal Congress | 16 |
| Zoram Nationalist Party | 16 |
| Hmar People's Convention | 8 |
| Maraland Democratic Front | 8 |
| Independents | 32,202 |
Figures are based upon Wayback Machine and Rajya Sabha. Figure on Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats do not take into consideration splits, mergers, defections, expulsions and by-elections after general elections have been held.
Know Pratibha Patil
Know Pratibha Patil is part of the political campaign launched by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the presidential election of 2007. It consists of a website and a PDF booklet (titled "Presidential Election 2007"), created by the BJP under the banner of Project India. Both contain the party's allegation in the form of a compilation of articles from various media. While announcing the website at a press conference, the BJP party general secretary Arun Jaitley also distributed a printed form of the booklet and described it as a compilation of articles / editorials from newspapers on the Presidential contest.[2][3]
The stated objective of the site is to "educate the people about Pratibha Patil, the nominee of UPA and Indian left for Indian presidential election scheduled on 19 July 2007". To support this, the website consists of various sections like 'Cartoon,' 'Pratibhaspeak' and 'UPA Doublespeak' and includes links to video clippings and articles that refer to the various allegations levelled against Pratibha Patil.
The website declares :
Even though the people do not elect the Rashtrapati, they have a vital stake in the Presidential poll since the winner will become head of the Republic of India. They have a right to know whether the likely winner is worthy of becoming the Head of State of the world's largest democracy. The need to know whether the person embodies, as far as possible, the lofty ideals enshrined in the Constitution of India, of which he or she will be the custodian, or he/she will be a rubber stamp of those who have catapulted him/her to the high Office.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley talking to news-persons called the website a "campaign to provide an informed choice to the electorate (the electoral college)". "The voter has a right to the information about the candidate he is voting for. This effort is intended for an informed choice of the electorate," Jaitley said.[4]
Arun Jaitley did not respond when asked what would happen to the right of information when people are "informed" only about one of the two presidential candidates. He said the website would vanish after 21 July, when the presidential election result will be out.
However, the website can still be viewed via archive.org[5]
An INC spokesperson commented:
The exercise is futile and aimed at denigrating the office of President and maligning an individual.... There is a frustrated section in the BJP, a queer combination of the senile and juvenile that was denigrating institutions.[6]
BJP division
The Times of India BJP leaders had initially looked divided over supporting this campaign against Pratibha Patil. Party chief Rajnath Singh seemed reluctant to be drawn into a "personal attack" while senior party leader L. K. Advani spoke at length on the "pliant President" issue at the party's national executive last month.[4] Daily News and Analysis also reported on the apparent differences among senior leaders on this campaign and had this quote:
"Rajnath Singh has virtually dissociated himself from all this. Nor has there been any statement so far by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee attacking Patil," a party functionary said.[7]
Results
| MPs | MLAs | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pratibha Patil | 312,936 | 325,180 | 638,116 |
| Bhairon Singh Shekhawat | 164,256 | 167,050 | 331,306 |
Source: "India gets first woman president". NDTV.com. 21 July 2007. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
References
- Indian MPs vote for new president. BBC News. Retrieved on 19 July 2007.
- BJP creates website on Pratibha Patil The Hindu – 11 July 2007
- BJP launches website against Pratibha Sahara Samay – 10 July 2007 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- Know Patil better: BJP puts up website "Know Patil better: BJP puts up website" Times of India, 11 July 2007
- "Know Pratibha Patil". Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- Bid to malign her, says Congress The Hindu – 11 July 2007
- BJP divided over campaign against Patil "Bid to malign her, says Congress" DNA. 11 July 2007