Giri's victory marked the triumph of Gandhi's "Left turn," symbolised by the abolition of former maharajahs' privy purses and bank nationalisation. It also vested excessive significance in a top-heavy, indirect selection process devoid of mass campaigning. The president's office is largely ornamental, like constitutional monarchy. It is not the court of last resort.

The president's discretion is limited to appointing a prime minister in a hung Parliament, and certain other matters like asking the government to reconsider bills, or granting clemency or pardon. Even here, the president is bound by conventions and norms. As a rule, the president only acts on the cabinet's "advice."

Within this limitation, s/he is expected to play a dignified role above party agendas. His/her election should also reflect dignity. It is, thus, regrettable that the current presidential election has become a bitter contention, in which parties are scoring brownie points and playing for minuscule, temporary advantages.

The Congress vacillated over deciding its nominee. Its choice, the non-descript Pratibha Patil, has left many United Progressive Alliance supporters disappointed, although quite a few were glad it didn't nominate Mr Shivraj Patil who has badly under-performed as home minister.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance thwarted consensus on the presidential nominee. Last November, it started pleading with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to seek a second term.

This flies in the face of a well-settled convention. Various parties have repeatedly cited this convention since 1962. That's why the highly regarded Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was denied a second term.

The BJP invoked that very convention in May 2002, when it told K.R. Narayanan that he should not seek re-election. So it was utterly hypocritical for the BJP to campaign for Mr. Kalam's second term. It nominated vice-president and BJP leader Bhairaon Singh Shekhawat as the NDA's candidate -- only after Mr Kalam refused to enter the contest.

However, the BJP still speaks in multiple voices. Confronted by the announcement of the eight regional parties like the SP, AIADMK and Telugu Desam -- now called the United National Progressive Alliance -- that they would "persuade" Mr. Kalam to seek a second term, the BJP said that it supported Mr Kalam as a consensus candidate. But Mr Kalam isn't a consensus candidate. The UPA isn't about to reconsider Ms Patil's nomination.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kalam has muddied the waters by declaring, in an unprecedented statement, that he "can accept a second term of presidency provided there is certainty." This "certainty" isn't "consensus." The announcement brings Mr. Kalam no credit. However, the BJP is trying to turn the tables on the Congress by saying it must explain why it doesn't back Mr Kalam. This is preposterous, but typical of the BJP's intimidatory tactics.

In reality, the BJP's election plans have gone awry, and the NDA is divided. The Shiv Sena and the Trinamool Congress have spoken out against nominating Mr Shekhawat. The Sena chief even opposes Mr Kalam, and will probably back Ms Patil. Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee says Mr. Kalam is still her first choice. Even Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, opposes Mr Shekhawat's nomination.

The BJP was hoping to cut a deal with some members of the UNPA, under which their second-preference votes would go to Mr Shekhawat. That would enable the NDA to avert an embarrassing loss of face.

However, after its latest decision, the UNPA may abstain from voting. This is widely expected of the SP and TDP, with 80,000 of the UNPA's 105,000 votes. In that case, Mr. Shekhawat could suffer a crushing defeat.

Clearly, the BJP severely underestimated his lack of acceptability. The UNPA was reluctant to back him, and toyed with all kinds of substitutes, including Mr Farooq Abdullah, former Supreme Court judge Fatima Beevi, and agronomist M.S. Swaminathan.

The BJP disingenuously attempted to pass off Mr Shekhawat as "non-political." This won't wash. He's a lifelong Jana Sangh-BJP functionary and RSS member.

The numbers favour Ms Patil, with the UPA's and the Left and Bahujan Samaj Party's votes exceeding the half-way mark in the 10.99 lakh-strong electoral college. It would be a huge surprise if Ms Patil didn't win a thumping majority. Her victory would be welcome, primarily because she's a woman with long experience of portfolios like culture, health and education.

That said, Ms Patil is a singularly undistinguished leader. She comes from North Maharashtra's prosperous Leva-Patil community, which migrated from Rajasthan four centuries ago. She married Devisingh Shekhawat from Vidarbha. She was brought into politics by Y.B. Chavan, primarily because she was a woman and represented two distinct regions.

No political observer in Maharashtra remembers Ms Patil for anything that she has done or said. Recently, however, she committed a faux pas by saying that the purdah (veil) was introduced in India to "save women from Mughal invaders."

This is both historically wrong and politically deplorable. Historians say that the purdah predates the Mughals' 16th century arrival. Many communities -- regardless of religion or caste -- practised gender discrimination during the early medieval period.

Ms Patil perhaps spoke out of ignorance and a crude form of patriotism -- not communal bias. The fact that she withheld assent to a Rajasthan Bill outlawing religious conversion, including voluntary conversion, speaks of a secular bent of mind.

Yet, it would be unbecoming of a president to make remarks that can be interpreted as being prejudiced. Ms Patil should make a clean break with Mr Kalam's habit of casually issuing all kinds of statements, including some with policy implications.

The president, Indians know from experience, need not be, and usually isn't, a fount of wisdom/sagacity. Barring Radhakrishnan and Narayanan, most presidents have been neither erudite nor wise. A majority were over-ambitious.

All we need is a relatively sober, prudent and dignified individual. We needn't despair about Ms Patil, even if we don't feel elated.

Praful Bidwai is an eminent Indian Columnist..