Shri Shashi Tharoor, the much-hyped Indian candidate for election to the postof UN Secretary-General, withdrew from the contest after the final straw pollheld by the UN Security Council on October 2, 2006. It became clear at this pollthat he did not stand a chance of winning because of a veto against hiscandidature exercised by an unidentified permanent member. It was initiallyspeculated that China must have exercised this veto, but it has since beenreported by well-informed journalists that the veto was actually exercised bythe US.