Pratibha Patil

Patil was announced as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate on 14 June 2007. She emerged as a compromise candidate after the left-wing parties of the alliance would not agree to the nomination of former Home Minister Shivraj Patil or Karan Singh.[9] Patil had been loyal to the INC and the Nehru–Gandhi family for decades and this was considered to be a significant factor in her selection by INC leader Sonia Gandhi, although Patil said that she had no intention of being a "rubber-stamp president".[6][10]

In the same month that she was selected, as a member of the UPA Patil was accused of shielding her brother, G. N. Patil, in the 2005 Vishram Patil murder case. Vishram Patil had narrowly defeated G. N. Patil in an election to be the President of the District Congress Committee of Jalgaon and in September of that year had been murdered. Vishram Patil's widow eventually accused G. N. Patil of involvement in the crime and claimed that Pratibha Patil had influenced the criminal investigation and that the issue needed to be examined before presidential immunity became active.[11] Her accusations were rejected by the courts in 2009[12] but in 2015 G. N. Patil was charged. No reference to the alleged involvement of Pratibha Patil was made at this time.[13]

Due to the presidential role being largely a figurehead position, the selection of the candidate is often arranged by consensus among the various political parties and the candidate runs unopposed.[14] Contrary to the normal pattern of events, Patil faced a challenge in the election. The BBC described the situation as "the latest casualty of the country's increasingly partisan politics and [it] highlights what is widely seen as an acute crisis of leadership". It "degenerated into unseemly mudslinging between the ruling party and the opposition".[15] Her challenger was Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the incumbent vice-president and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran. Shekhawat stood as an independent candidate and was supported by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a group led by the BJP,[16] although the Shiv Sena party, which was a part of NDA, supported her because of her Marathi origin.[17]

Those opposed to Patil becoming president claimed that she lacked charisma, experience, and ability. They also highlighted her time spent away from high-level politics and queried her belief in the supernatural, such as her claim to have received a message from Dada Lekhraj, a dead guru.[6][15][18] Various specific issues were raised, such as a comment made by her in 1975 that those suffering from hereditary diseases should be sterilized.[6] Another alleged that while a Member of Parliament for Amravati she diverted Rs 3.6 million from her MPLADS fund to a trust run by her husband. This was in violation of Government rules which barred MPs from providing funds to organizations run by their relatives.[19] The parliamentary affairs minister denied any wrongdoing on Patil's part, and noted that the funds utilized under MPLADS are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.[20]

Patil won the election held on 19 July 2007. She garnered nearly two-thirds of the votes[21] and took office as India's first woman president on 25 July 2007.[2]

Patil in 2007

President Patil speaking at the Doon School's Platinum Jubilee in October 2010.

Patil presenting mementos to the conductor of the Air Warrior Symphony Orchestra at the auditorium in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Patil's term as the President of India saw various controversies and is widely considered as lacklustre.[22] She commuted death sentences of 35 petitioners to life, a record. President's Office, however, defended this by saying that President had granted clemency to the petitioners after due consideration and examining the advice of the Home Ministry.[23][24]

Patil was noted for having spent more money on foreign trips, and having taken a greater number of foreign trips, than any previous president.[25] Sometimes accompanied by as many as 11 members of her family, there had been 12 foreign trips spanning 22 countries by May 2012, when she was away on her 13th trip. Those completed travels had cost Rs 205 crore (Rs 2.05 billion). The Ministry of External Affairs said that taking family members "was not abnormal".[26]

The Office of President has a five-year term[15] and Patil retired from the role in July 2012.[27]

Patil allegedly used public funds to build a retirement mansion on a 260,000 square feet (24,000 m²) plot of military land in Pune.Tradition is that a retiring president either takes residence in Government accommodation in Delhi or moves back to their residence in their home state;her use of government money to build a retirement home at the end of the presidential term was unprecedented.[28] Other controversies that arose after her retirement included her desire to claim both an official government car and fuel allowance for the running of a private car, despite rules clearly stipulating that this was an either/or situation. She also took possession of many gifts that had been given to her in her official role and was later forced to return them.[29]