Second Innings as PM

The top news of the day seems to be Manmohan Singh being sworn in as the Prime Minister of India. And he now holds of the honor of being only the second PM to have taken office twice in a row, after Nehru, and that too after having served one full term. The Congress-led coalition did take up the elections with a substantial win, but with the exit of the regional DMK in the south there is only a slight dent to its supprot. The Congress promises another term of social reforms and economic stability, but that remains to be seen!

Indeed two consecutive terms is quite a rarity in the Indian legislature. Typically the Indian parliament elections have always exhibited an anti-incumbent outlook, and it is not rare for the top political parties to alternate as the ruling government. This is quite unlike the US where the Democrats and the Republicans can expect terms back to back, of course assuming theit times in office were fairly successful. Only time will tell if this win for the Congress works in its favor, and whether it proves its merit.