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  Gandhi Family to Return to Power in India; Prime Minister Vajpayee Resigns
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ContributorRalphie 
Last EditedRalphie  May 13, 2004 05:15pm
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MediaNews Service - Associated Press
News DateThursday, May 13, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0
DescriptionGandhi Family to Return to Power in India; Prime Minister Vajpayee Resigns
The Honolulu Advertiser

The Gandhi political dynasty in India prepared for a return to power Thursday after it was handed a stunning victory that reflected anger among millions of India's rural poor over being left out of the economic boom fostered by the current government. The party of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee conceded the vote, leaving Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, to take the helm of the world's largest democracy. Vajpayee resigned Thursday night. He was to address the nation later on television. It was one of the most dramatic political upsets since Indian independence almost 60 years ago.

It was an embarrassing defeat for Vajpayee's Hindu nationalist-led government, which had called elections six months early because it felt confident of winning an even bigger majority in Parliament, based on the roaring economy and prospects of peace with Pakistan. A leader in Vajpayee's coalition said the results were "totally against our expectations."

Gandhi has pushed for a secular India in contrast to the BJP's Hindu nationalist message. Her two children, Rahul and Priyanka, are up-and-coming politicians and state-run television reported that Rahul won his race to enter parliament for the first time. The Gandhi dynasty dominated Indian politics since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, headed the country from independence until his 1964 death. He was followed by his daughter, Indira Gandhi, who was killed by her own bodyguards in 1984. Rajiv, her son and Sonia's husband, took power and ruled until 1989. Two years later, he too was assassinated.
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