Anyone notice that the second most populous nation in the world has a new PM?

[YogsVR4]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...wl_nm/india_dc


Manmohan Singh is the new guy.

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"The market perceives Singh to be the right candidate for the top post, and his appointment will send a positive signal to overseas investors," said Abhay Aima, head of equities and private banking at HDFC Bank. "But the issue is whether he will be able handle the pressures of coalition politics."

Regarded as untainted by the corruption that is endemic in Indian politics, Singh still has to move from parliament's upper house to the lower house in a by-election within six months. But that is considered a formality.

Much interest also focused on who would be finance minister in the new government. Singh had been favorite to take the Finance Ministry before being catapulted into the top job by the shock withdrawal of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

Two former finance and trade ministers, Pranab Mukherjee, a commerce graduate from Calcutta, and P. Chidambaram, a Harvard-educated lawyer-turned-politician, are front-runners. Bimal Jalan, another former central bank chief, is also possible.

Markets had been spooked by anti-reform comments by leftist Congress allies and doubts that Gandhi could control them.

Italian-born Gandhi, the 57-year-old torchbearer of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, shocked her colleagues and tens of millions of grassroots supporters on Tuesday when she gave up her claim to the top job after leading the overthrow of the BJP.

Gandhi said she wanted to spare her party from attacks over her foreign birth, although media speculated that fears she would become the target of militant nationalists also played a part.

Friday is the 13th anniversary of the day her husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated by a suicide bomber and Singh and Gandhi will visit the spot for a ceremony.

[Raz_Kaz]

Yea I heard about that, also there are many protests against it? Seems like it was a shocking turn of events on when she won...don't really know the politics there and why it was such a big shock

[DGB454]

She pulled out? I am a little suprised by that.

[YogsVR4]

I don't know the whole story, but the gist of it was she felt it was best for the country.

[taranaki]

That and she feared getting assasinated,something of a family tradition.

How long before the honeymoon wears off on this surprise election result,and the head honcho becomes a target for a car bomb?