Manmohan Singh is only one King

There is only one king in this election. And that’s Manmohan Singh, the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) that won with a decisive margin, belying predictions of a hung parliament.

At least half-a-dozen regional satraps who were harbouring prime ministerial ambitions and were itching to play kingmakers are now out in the cold.

Contrary to the pre-poll scenario, when both the Congress and the BJP were assiduously courting them in search of the elusive 272 halfway mark in parliament, the market value of the so-called kingmakers has dipped dramatically.

Almost all exit polls predicted a photo finish contest between the two leading political formations, fuelling ambitions of those who were bracing to drive hard political bargains.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi even went to the extent of praising Nitish Kumar and Naidu as examples of good leaders outside the UPA fold – widely seen as overtures to the two who have carved their careers around anti-Congress politics.