Presidential election

Polling began in Parliament and state assemblies for the 13th Indian Presidential election This morning

The front-runner in the election is former Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil, who is the United National Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate supported by the Left Front, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and other secular parties such as Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

Joining the presidential election against Patil is current VicePresident Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who is backed by the UPA rival opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP