Voting by lawmakers for India's new national president ended today with a Muslim who is the father of the country's nuclear missile programme certain to win.
The surprise nomination of Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for the mainly ceremonial post by the ruling Hindu nationalist-led coalition was backed by all parties except the communists and his election was seen as a formality.
An election commission official said the ballot boxes had been sealed at the end of the day-long vote in parliament and state legislatures around the country. The votes will be counted on Thursday and the result announced that day.
Mr Kalam (71), known for his long grey hair and ability to recite from the Koran and the Hindu holy scripture Bhagavadgita with equal ease, was nominated by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee last month.
Political analysts said the choice of Mr Kalam, plucked from academia after retiring from government, was aimed at silencing critics of the ruling Hindu nationalists.
Mr Kalam's expected election for a five-year term was seen by analysts as helping the government affirm mainly Hindu India's officially secular standing.