Pratibha Patil, 77, was nominated in June 2007 by Sonia Gandhi, the ruler of the congress party, to be the first female president of India. Ms.Patil spent 45 years in Indian politics as governor of the state of Rajasthan which gave her ample experience for the presidential position. However, many criticize her for going for such a prestige position. There were media reports against her that were later dismissed as “mud-slinging”. While many would have easily given up she gracefully rejected the criticism and use the negativity against her as her motivation. Patil won the election. Patil’s election proved to be a triumph for women in a country where millions still face discrimination, and violence.