by Lu Chunhua    

    NEW DELHI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The month-long campaign for the 13th presidential election came to an end on Thursday with former Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil and current Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat locked in a straight contest.

    Arrangements have been completed for polling in Parliament House and State Assemblies, where the Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Members of Local Assemblies (MLAs) will begin to cast their votes respectively at 10:00 a.m. local time on Thursday.

    Although 4,120 MLAs and 776 MPs constitute the electoral college, the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) decision to keep away from the battle means the number of voters is going to come down.

    The Election Commission, which conducts the once-in-five-years presidential election, has prepared Room 62 in parliament house for MPs to vote. Most MPs are already in New Delhi.

    The campaigning has witnessed unprecedented mutual attacks, which have already damaged the dignity and prestige of the country's highest office, some people told Xinhua, adding that this presidential election is most controversial.

    Patil, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate who is also supported by the Left Front, the Bahujan Samaj Party and other secular parties such as Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal, have high possibility to be elected as the first female President in Indian history.

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

    Interestingly, the two candidates share something in common. On one hand, they are both very old with Patil at the age of 72, and Shekhawat at the age of 83; on the other hand, they are both veteran politicians serving in the desert state of Rajasthan, with Patil once taking the post of the Governor and Shekhawat as MLA in the state for many years.

    As Indo-Asian News Service reported, the ruling alliance combine has 631,464 votes against the NDA's 314,411, which means that Patil embraces more opportunities to win the presidential election.

    Although the Indian president serves a mainly ceremonial role as the titular head of state, he could play an important role if there is a political crisis triggered by a hung parliament. Meanwhile, the president also has the power to delay bills passed by parliament before they become law.