Notwithstanding political bickering, accusations of financial mismanagement, allegations of shielding a brother accused of murder, enraged historians questioning her take on the Muslim veil, and her claim that a dead guru prophesied her rise to power, 72-year-old Pratibha Patil won a majority of the electoral college votes on Friday to become India's first woman President.

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, the President's office is largely titular with few real powers. But some former presidents have made their presence felt with their personalities, stature and insight, and there will always be comparisons.

Patil's path to power was not all euphoria, with many Indian women wondering if she was the right person to represent their interests, leave alone the entire country's. She has a lot of ground to cover if she has to live up to her campaign promises of empowering Indian women.

Patil will take office on July 25.

Wait, that's not all. The campaign for the vice-president's post is getting interesting, with the opposition party fielding a Muslim woman, former vice-chairperson of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament/Council of States), Najma Heptullah. The ruling coalition and the Left have also fielded Muslim leaders for the post, and it's unclear if Heptullah will make it, especially after she switched allegiance and is now on the wrong side of the ruling Congress Party (and its president, Sonia Gandhi).

But what if she does? Will she help improve the lot of minority Muslim women in India? Can Patil and Heptullah together make a difference in the lives of so many repressed women?

Can't wait to see how this one turns out.