After the selection of the UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee as the new President of India by a huge margin, the Parliamentarians are now ready to give a warm send off to the former president Pratibha Patil on July 23, 2012. The farewell ceremony of Patil, who has proved to be a promising President so far, will be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA President Sonia Gandhi, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and the members of Parliament from the upper and the lower house.
A farewell speech will be given by Patil at 5 pm on July 23, 2012. On July 22, 2012 Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, BJP veteran LK Advani and many of the union ministers along with political leaders attended the farewell ‘At Home’ which was hosted by the outgoing president Pratibha Patil. The party was also attended by chief Justice of India SH Kapadia, Hamid Ansari, Meira Kumar, P Chidambaram, Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampat, National Security advisor Shiv Shankar, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth Menon and the three service chiefs.
But the newly elected president Pranab Mukherjee did not attend the At Home party. Mukherjee will be sworn as the new President of India on July 25, 2012 after leaving behind the rival PA Sangma.
