Manmohan Singh is a very wise leader: Obama

Washington: Congratulating Manmohan Singh for his second term as the prime minister of India, US president Barack Obama on Thursday said Singh is a very wise leader whom he respects and is looking forward to visit New Delhi at an early date.

Obama said this to the new Indian ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, at his Oval Office in the White House. Shankar presented her credentials to the US president as the top Indian diplomat in the US.

During the brief credential ceremony, Obama conveyed his felicitations on the recent elections in India. He said that Singh is a very wise leader whom he respects. Obama said he is looking forward to visiting India at an early date.

Shankar conveyed the greetings from Indian president Pratibha Patil and the prime minister to the US president and first lady Michelle Obama.

The envoy said that she was looking forward to strengthen the strategic partnership between India and the United States.

Succeeding Ronen Sen, whose term ended on March 31 this year, Shankar arrived in the US April 26. She was earlier serving as the Indian ambassador to Germany.

A 1973-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Shankar has held several important assignments, including her stint as the minister of Commerce at the Indian Embassy in Washington from 1991 to 1995. She served as director in the Prime Minister's
Office in New Delhi from 1985 to 1991.

She also headed the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) overseeing country's cultural diplomacy.

Shankar has headed two important divisions in the Ministry of External Affairs dealing with the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and relations with Nepal and Bhutan.

Before being appointed as the Indian ambassador to Germany, she held the responsibility for the United Nations and International Security.

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Amar Singh congratulates PM, Sonia Gandhi on win

Congratulating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the Congress victory in the Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh on Saturday said that any future action by his party will be taken after their party's meeting.

"I congratulate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for this wonderful win. The central parliamentary board of our party will meet and then decide on the future action of the party," Amar Singh told reporters here.

Asked to comment on revival of Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Singh said: "I welcome that. Revival of any secular force is good."

The Samajwadi Party leader stated that Bahujan Samaj Party has only weakened in Uttar Pradesh and if the Samajwadi Party had fought with the Congress, they would have routed the BSP.

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Sonia Gandhi goes shopping a day before election results

Despite hectic politicking right up to the day before poll results, principal players in the political drama found ways to cope with last-minute jitters before the big revelation of results.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who saw several electoral reverses before tasting success in 2004, took time off to go shopping at the Santushti Complex. Her routine before and during result day is, according to those close to her, simple: a quite night at home, with only political secretary Ahmed Patel allowed access, and early morning watching television and catching up with results.

Her son and All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi returned on Friday after a vacation in Lakshadweep with sister Priyanka Gandhi and her family. He too is expected to watch the results at home, after which he may move to 10 Janpath, his mother's residence.

Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate LK Advani spent time during the day with wife Kamala, son Jayant and daughter Pratibha. Psephologist GVL Narasimha Rao was going through last-minute number-crunching with him at his home on Prithviraj Road.

Sources say Advani will only stir out to attend a thanksgiving dinner at 26 Tughlak Lane, where a BJP 'war room' has been set up, to thank the team for a well-run campaign. "He will be at home, and will watch results at home," said an aide.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat will watch the results at home and then at the party office, where he will go to work at 11. His Third Front ally, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati will stay put in Lucknow, and aides added that if the numbers are in her favour she will take a special flight to Delhi. Her aide Satish Mishra will hold fort in Delhi till then.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh spent the evening meeting people with poll projections and his party's own exit polls spread out in front of him. "He will watch results at home on his 52 inch LCD TV," said an aide with a laugh.

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Congress will perform better this time: Priyanka Gandhi

New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Thursday asserted that the party’s performance in the 14th Lok Sabha polls will be better than that in the last election.

“I think there will be improvement, at least that is what we hope,” Gandhi told reporters after casting her vote at a polling booth in Lodhi Estate here.

Dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans, Gandhi came to the polling booth along with her husband Robert Vadra.

Eight states, along with Delhi, are going to vote in the fourth and penultimate phase of the general elections Thursday.

Gandhi expressed hope that Congress will bag all the seven seats of the capital.

Asking people to come out and vote, Gandhi said: “I hope they will be voting for a party and prime minister, who are serious about development and are ready to take the country forward.”

When asked about post-poll alliances, she said: “We will see after June 16th.”

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