Congress Alliance Wins First Post-26/11 Indian Election

16 May 09 | FT

The Congress Party on Saturday claimed an emphatic victory in India’s parliamentary elections as voters backed secular leadership over communal politics and the continued premiership of Manmohan Singh.

The victory, by a far greater margin than expected, has given the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance a strong mandate to push ahead with economic reforms, yet also pursue efforts to widen the country’s economic success to the country’s poorest.

The vote marks the transformation of prime minister Singh from respected economist and technocrat to a popular politician, becoming the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to office after completing a full term. The win also underscored the appeal of the powerful Nehru-Gandhi ruling dynasty, led by Sonia Gandhi, as the motor within the left-of-centre Congress party. >>>