'Sonia Gandhi PM if Congress wins'

Ghulam Nabi Azad said Mrs Gandhi, the leader of Congress party, would be their unanimous choice if they form the govt.

Sonia Gandhi, wife of a former prime minister, will take that position herself if her opposition Congress party puts together a ruling coalition, a top party official said Thursday.

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"She will be the prime minister - hundred percent. For stability it is necessary that the prime minister be from the single largest party, that is the Congress party and our candidate is Sonia Gandhi," Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress general secretary, said after meeting with Gandhi.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led coalition sought to make an issue of Congress party leader's heritage during the campaign, raising questions about whether a foreign-born citizen should rule India.

While results from India's five-phase Parliament elections were incomplete, unofficial trends showed the Congress and its allies faring much better than expected against the ruling coalition, major TV stations reported Thursday. Congress officials were claiming victory.

Cars packed with Congress supporters were driving past Gandhi's residence Thursday, with others dancing and beating drums on the streets outside.