T. Narayan
The CPI(M) general secretary on the need to meet up potential allies and other issues
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The World
Indo-Pak peace, economic reform? Their fate is what's bothering India-watchers.
Mariana Baabar, Sanjay Suri
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Final Results
Final tally, state-wise party report, the winning coalition
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opinion
The Congress must ensure allies share the 'burden' of government to be effective
Prem Shankar Jha
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LEFT FRONT
The Congress and the Left aren't the best of friends, but secularism has brought them up close and personal Updates
Poornima Joshi
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BJP xenophobia is only recent, foreigners have been a part of our country's political past Updates
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L.K. Advani and his proteges' political miscalculations cost the party dear in this Lok Sabha poll
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BJP
Defeat triggers introspection on the BJP's core identity and whether it should go back to its hardline ways
Updates
Saba Naqvi, S. Anand, Rajesh Sinha
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editorial
Even Vajpayee proved no match in the Byzantine complexity of Indian reality where class, caste, ethnic and religious loyalties change every 200 km.
Vinod Mehta
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Reforms
The Congress may not be too hampered by the Left in the economic reforms arena
Paromita Shastri
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Economy
For the man on the street, the BJP's roads and dollars show held little shine
Paromita Shastri, Arindam Mukherjee, Suveen K. Sinha, Gauri Bhatia, Savitri Choudhury
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KARNATAKA
Deve Gowda returns from oblivion as the protagonist of the Kannada poll opera Updates
Sugata Srinivasaraju
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Gujarat
Shaken badly, the BJP has to try new experiments in its cradle of Hindutva Updates
Darshan Desai
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Why did most people, including pollsters and reporters, get it wrong?
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profile
While Naidu was flying high in choppers, YSR walked from home to home in rural Andhra. It has paid off.
Savitri Choudhury
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andhra pradesh
Not many expected such a backlash by angry voters. Certainly not Naidu. Updates
Savitri Choudhury
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Looking for star campaigners was tough. But suddenly there's a galaxy of luminaries in the Congress kitty itching to be sworn in.
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Congress
A Congress victory seemed way beyond expectation, but the footsoldiers kept up the attrition
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election
Demoralised, defunct, doomed, the pundits proclaimed. But the Congress laughs all the way to Parliament. Updates
Bhavdeep Kang
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Despite results indicating that the Left-Congress combine would need no extra numbers to reach the 272-mark, CPI(M) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet was still meeting potential allies. He discusses with Outlook the need to continue such confabulations and other issues. Excerpts:
The Congress-Left combine has the requisite numbers. Why are you still wooing Mulayam and others?
We've the strength. But we want to consolidate the secular base, bring all the anti-NDA elements together. This election has indicted the BJP's divisive agenda and we want everyone who has been part of the struggle to come together.
Wouldn't that create problems, as Mulayam et al have raised the issue of Sonia Gandhi's leadership?
There will be no problem. This whole issue of foreign origin is ridiculous. The biggest issue today is communalism and the BJP's anti-poor policies. We welcome anyone who opposes that.
Is the CPI(M) joining the government or supporting it from outside?
This is not for me to comment on. Our CC is meeting this weekend. We will sit together and decide.
How do you explain the fact that the Kerala unit of the CPI(M) has asked for A.K. Antony's resignation while you are supporting the Congress at the Centre?
We have won 18 of the 20 seats in Kerala. We are demanding Antony's resignation out of deference to the people's wishes. The verdict at the national level is clearly a rejection of the NDA's policies. It is the need of the hour to support a secular front and the Congress is the biggest secular party. There is absolutely no confusion about that.
So, the Left is now totally resigned to the fact that Sonia Gandhi will be PM.
It would be a coalition government with the Congress having the largest numbers. They are the single biggest party and Sonia Gandhi is their leader. Obviously, the partners have to take the Congress' views seriously.