Source: Yahoo! News

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=1&u=/nm/20040513/wl_nm/india_dc

On May 13, 2004 Yahoo! News posted a Reuters article that reported, "Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee resigned Thursday after a shock election defeat that paved the way for Italian-born Sonia Gandhi's Congress party to take power in the world's largest democracy. The result was a resounding rejection by the rural poor of Vajpayee's 'India shining' campaign motto, although Gandhi's Congress was not expected to turn its back on a policy of gradually liberalizing Asia's third-largest economy. 'The Congress party will take the lead to ensure our country has a strong, stable and secular government at the earliest,' Gandhi said in brief comments to reporters. Ecstatic, if surprised, supporters beat drums and danced in the streets in New Delhi as the extent of the upset by Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty quickly became apparent within two hours of counting starting...Gandhi was meeting Congress leaders to discuss forming a government, which party officials said could happen within days but which will also have to rely for support on leftist parties after their strong gains. She is tipped to be prime minister. With counting almost over, Congress and its allies were likely to win 218 seats in the 545-seat parliament and the BJP-led coalition 186. Left parties which have promised to support Congress were ahead in 63 constituencies."