Section B·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, October 7, 1999
COLLEGE STUDENTS CANNOT LIVE ON RAMEN NOODLES ALONE.
FULL BELLY FOR UNDER FIVE BUCKS.
NOW OPEN @ 9TH & MASS
World
Indian prime minister claims party victory
Returns may result in unprecedented power for alliance
The Associated Press
NEW DELHI, India- India's prime minister claimed victory yesterday in parliamentary elections, saying he expects the final results of the vote to give his 22-party alliance a majority.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's National Democratic Alliance could get a large enough majority to hold power for a full five years, something no party other than Congress has done since independence in 1947. All projections were giving the alliance a majority in parliament.
"I don't see how this alliance can last for more than 14 to 16 months," said Congress party representative Jaidram Ramesh, apparently conceding defeat.
When asked if he was ready to form another government, Vajpayee said that what he was expecting. Flashing a "V" for victory sign for photographers, he said the results were according to his expectations.
Projections based on partial returns predicted the alliance would win 280 to 290 of parliament's 543 elected seats, according to private Star News Television. It projected 175 to 190 for the main opposition Congress party.
Counting of more than 300 million ballots began yesterday after the monthlong vote. Results for 538 seats are to be announced by Friday. A new government is expected to be named by the middle of the month, after parliament is seated.
Vajpayee's victory against Congress candidate Karan Singh in his Lucknow parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh state quali-
In another five districts where balleting was canceled because of floods, voting is scheduled for Oct. 28.
fles him to return as prime minister. India's third election since 1996 was called because Vajpayee lost a vote of confidence by one vote in April.
Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, Congress's president, established an early lead against Sushma Swaraj of Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party in the southern Indian district of Bellary, where her party has never lost. Gandhi also was running in Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh, the seat once held by her husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was assassinated in 1991.
In the 41 districts where winners were declared, the Bharatiya Janata Party — part of the National Democratic Alliance — had 25 seats, with five more for its allies. Congress had nine seats and other parties had two.
In large noisy halls and tentseeming with police and politicalactivists, election officials openedmetal ballot boxes yesterday toundertake the laborious count,which will continue nonstop untilthe results are complete.
Of the 418 seats where projections were available, the alliance had 229 to Congress' 128.
Counting in Anantnag in northern Kashmir was hated when opposition candidates objected to counting of votes by special police officers - civilians armed by the government to fight Muslim militants. They are seen by the opposition as government agents. One candidate was injured in a clash with local police at the counting center.
A second vote took place yesterday in the northeastern states of Assam and Manipur because of disruption of the original polls by violent clashes between political parties.
Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill said 148 people died in election related violence during the vote fewer than in previous years. Most were killed in attacks by separatist insurgents who tried to block the elections. The rest were victims of clashes among political activists.
A