INDIA chose Pratibha Patil, a 72-year-old grandmother, as its first female president yesterday.

Patil, the nominee of the governing Congress party, will take over the role as head of state from the outgoing president, APJ Abdul Kalam.

Her election was perceived as a symbolic victory for equal rights in a country with a mixed record on the treatment of women. Supporters hope Patil will bring issues such as dowry-related violence and abortion into the spotlight.

Patil has cut a controversial figure in recent months. Critics have claimed that her slavish loyalty to Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Congress party, won her the nomination.

She caused a storm in India’s Muslim community by calling for women to abandon wearing headscarves, saying the tradition had been introduced to protect them from 16th century Muslim invaders, a comment she later retracted.

Her popularity also suffered after allegations that a bank she helped set up had given cheap loans to her relatives. She denies the claims.

Patil worked as a lawyer before embarking on a career in politics that saw her hold several ministerial positions, most recently as governor of the northern state of Rajasthan.

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