India's election results in a stalemate

By RANJAN ROY
Associated Press

For only the second time in India's history, no party captured an outright majority in the general elections. The long-dominant Congress Party finished second, clearing the way for either the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party or a coalition of low-caste socialists.

Bharatiya Janata members elected party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee as their candidate for prime minister.

``Long Live Mother India'' shouted the newly elected Parliament members.

``India is at a turning point,'' Vajpayee said, accepting the nomination.

The moderate Vajpayee has attempted to allay concerns by assuring that India would remain secular and that Muslims, who make up 12 percent of the nation, would not face increased discrimination.

In president's hands

President Shanker Dayal Sharma will decide which group gets the first chance to form a coalition government. His office said the decision would not be made before Tuesday, when the new Parliament convenes.

On Saturday, Sharma heard from the leaders of several groups and independents who could tip the scales for either Bharatiya Janata or the socialist National Front.

Bharatiya Janata leaders formally requested Sharma's invitation on Saturday, arguing that their Hindu nationalist candidates won more Parliament seats than anyone else.

But under India's constitution, Sharma may opt to choose any party he believes will provide a stable government.

Hindus face opposition

Rival parties have said they will not join a Bharatiya Janata-led government. They object to its focus on Hindu revivalism and worry that it will reduce the rights of minority Muslims on such issues as marriage and divorce.

The party also favors a tougher line against India's Islamic neighbor, Pakistan, and advocates building nuclear weapons.

``Our effort will be to keep the BJP out,'' Congress Party spokesman Vithal Gadgil said.

The National Front, a socialist alliance that appealed heavily to low-caste voters, said it will meet Sharma today to ask for a chance to build a coalition.

The party has yet to choose its candidate for prime minister. The leading contenders are Laloo Prasad Yadav, a low-caste chief minister of Bihar state, and Jyoti Basu, the head of the communist state government in West Bengal.

Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who was prime minister for 11 months in 1990, could be a compromise candidate for the Front. Singh, however, is suffering from cancer and has said he does not want the position.

Congress Party on fence

Leaders of the Congress Party, which ruled India for almost all of its 48 years of independence, said they would decide today whether to sit in the opposition, take part in a coalition government or support a government without joining it.

Congress Party leader P.V. Narasimha Rao resigned as prime minister Friday. Many in his party have blamed him for leading the party to its worst election defeat.

Rao called a meeting of the party's top policymakers for today, where he may face a vote to decide whether he will remain party president.

By late Saturday, results of 503 seats out of the 537 districts contested gave Bharatiya Janata and its allies 179 seats. Congress won 134, and the National Front alliance won 88, with the rest going to regional parties and independents. Counting was expected to be completed today.

The election was held on three days -- April 27, May 2, and Tuesday -- to give election officials and paramilitary forces a chance to keep order around polling stations.