New Delhi: As the Battle for Presidency reached its finale on Thursday, almost everything went according to the UPA-Left plan.
At the end of the polling, Pratibha Patil was streets ahead, waiting to be anointed the country's first woman President.
The ballots will be counted on Saturday.
The wily Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, a really popular politician, was expected to swing votes in his favour.
His goodwill earned him some ballots across the political divide but hardly enough to even make a dent.
The UPA claimed victory without delay. “I do hope we will have a massive, massive victory,” said Parliamentary Affairs minister P R Dasmunsi
2007 will be remembered not just for who won and who lost the Presidential election.
It will also be remembered for the birth of a new political outfit the UNPA which lost a bit of steam just when it was beginning to celebrate its very existence.''
Jayalalitha gave proof of it by suddenly allowing her MPs and MLAs to cast their votes. In Chennai and Delhi, AIADMK and Vaiko's MDMK legislators voted for Shekhawat.
The SP was willing to admit to a split in UNPA ranks.
“There is no fragmentation, fissure, contradiction as far as I am concerned because all of us have great regard and respect for Jayalalithaa ji,” said SP’s Amar Singh.
The NDA encountered trouble with Shiv Sena voting for Patil, Trinamool and JD(S) abstaining.
The National Conference stayed away as did other UNPA allies like SP and TDP. It was bad news for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi because the dissidents disobeyed party instruction and voted for Patil.
This election will also be remembered for the collapse of an old but successful coalition NDA. In the end what one saw in last few months is just a precursor for 2009 when the next General Election take place.
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