Pratibha Patil is UPA-Left candidate for Presidentship

New Delhi, June 14 (UNI) Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil is the UPA-Left candidate for the country's Presidentship, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi announced today, ending days of suspense and hard negotiations between the two formations for arriving at a consensus.

''It is a matter of pride and historic moment that in the 60 years of the Republic, the nominee (for Presidentship) is a woman.

Her choice was unanimous,'' Ms Gandhi told a meeting of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee this evening.

An elated Mrs Patil told UNI that she was ''surprised'' and felt ''really very honoured.'' According to sources, her name was suggested by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the Left parties had firmly rejected the Congress proposal to consider Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and veteran Congress leader Karan Singh for the coveted post.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who arrived here yesterday, is understood to have played a key role in breaking the stand-off between the Congress leadership and the Left parties.

In all likelihood, Mrs Patil would be pitted against Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who is expected to contest as an independent with NDA support, in the July 19 election.

The NDA leadership is meeting here on June 18 after which they are expected to formally announce their support for Mr Shekhawat.

Meanwhile, the newly-formed Third Front of eight regional parties would also be meeting in Chennai the same day to finalise their position on the Presidential poll.

President A P J Abdul Kalam's five-year tenure ends on July 24.

The announcement of Mrs Patil's candidature was preceded by day-long confabulations Dr Singh and Ms Gandhi had with the Left leaders, Mr Karunanidhi and leaders of other UPA allies.

If elected, Mrs Patil will be the first woman to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan on the sprawling Raisina Hills.

A veteran Congress leader and loyalist of Ms Gandhi, Mrs Patil had also been the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1988.

The choice of the UPA-Left combine came as a big surprise as her name had not figured earlier.

While her name was being discussed in Delhi, Mrs Patil was returning to Jaipur from Mount Abu.

After the UPA-Left coordination committee meeting, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters that it was resolved that Mrs Pratibha Devisingh Patil would be the UPA Presidential candidate supported by the Left parties, the BSP and some other parties.

He said the meeting, held at the official residence of the Prime Minister at 7 Race Course Road, appealed to all parties and the members of the electoral college to elect her as the first woman President of India in the 60th year of Independence.

After Ms Gandhi made a brief statement, announcing the candidature of Mrs Patil, Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar said ''there is a little correction. The candidate is Mrs Pratibha Patil Shekhawat,'' obviously referring to the fact that she is married to Dr Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat.

Upon this, Ms Gandhi repeated ...picking up from para three, line one of DI52, POLITICS-PRESIDENT-PRATIBHA PATIL TWO NEW DELHI.

UNI