New Delhi, June 23, SPA -- India's ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate, Pratibha Patil on Saturday filed her nomination papers for the country's presidential elections, becoming the first nominee of amajor political alliance to enter the race for India's highestconstitutional office. Patil, 72, flanked by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA chairwoman Sonia Gandhi, filed two sets of documents before an election officer at Parliament House in New Delhi. Officials said all senior leaders of the UPA, its left-wingpartners as well as members of the Indian cabinet were present during the nomination. If elected, Patil who resigned as the governor of thenorth-western state of Rajasthan on Thursday, will become the first woman president of independent India, according to a report of Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). In a related development, President APJ Abdul Kalam on Friday said he will not stand for re-election, as he did not want to drag the presidency into "unseemly politics". "After reviewing the situation carefully from all angles, he has decided that in the current scenario he will not be interested in running for the second term," a statement issued by the Presidential Palace said. The main opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has already declared to support Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as an independent candidate, although Shekhawat has not formally announced his nomination for the post. India's president is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of parliament - Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the upper and the lower house respectively, and electedmembers of the State Legislative Assemblies (Vidhan Sabha). More than a dozen independents have filed their nominations so far. All nominations were to be scrutinized from July 2. The elections to elect the country's 12th president will be held on July 19 and the result declared on July 21.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/461428