For the first time, national and state lawmakers choose woman for presidency

India chose its first female president Saturday in an election hailed as a victory for women in a country where gender discrimination is deep-rooted and widespread.

Still, it"s not clear how much 72-year-old Pratibha Patil — a lawyer, congresswoman and former governor of the northern state of Rajasthan — can or will do in the mostly ceremonial post to improve the lives of her countrywomen.

Patil won 65.8 percent of the votes cast by national lawmakers and state legislators, said P.D.T. Achary, the secretary general of Parliament. She had the support of the governing Congress Party and its political allies, and had been expected to win.

“It is a special moment for us women, and men of course, in our country because for the first time we have a woman being elected president of India," said Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who hand-picked Patil.

While India has had several women in positions of power — most notably Gandhi and her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, who was elected to the more powerful position of prime minister in 1966 — women still face rampant discrimination.

Many Indian families regard daughters as a liability due to a tradition requiring a bride"s family to pay the groom"s family a large dowry of cash and gifts. As a consequence, their education is often neglected, and many don"t get adequate medical treatment when they"re ill.

International groups also estimate that 10 million female fetuses have been aborted in India during the past two decades as families show a widespread preference for sons.

Hundreds of delighted Congress Party supporters danced in the streets as the results were announced Saturday.

Patil received a majority of votes cast Thursday by national lawmakers and state legislators, defeating incumbent Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the candidate of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Patil, who is married and has two children, will be sworn in as India"s 13th president Wednesday. She replaces the popular A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

The election of a woman to the post continues an Indian tradition of using the presidency to give a high-profile voice to disadvantaged communities.

India has had three Muslim presidents, including Kalam, since winning independence from Britain in 1947. It also has had a president from the minority Sikh community.

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