Sonia Gandhi remains Congress party head after polls

Of the total 7,548 valid votes polled, Gandhi won 7,448 while her sole rival Jitendra Prasada managed only 94. There were 229 invalid votes.

Voting in the presidential elections of the party which had ruled India for most of the 53 years after independence from British colonial rule began on Sunday as about 9,000 leaders spread across the country began casting their ballots.

Sonia, widow of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, took over from then-party president Sitaram Kesri in dramatic manner three years ago. She got her election ratified by the party politburo in Calcutta soon afterwards.

She was being projected as the "official candidate" for the post. Prasad said he was contesting the poll to strengthen inner party democracy and against "the coterie around the Congress President". He alleged that the electoral college for the poll had been prepared in an "undemocratic manner" with many names missing from the voters' list.

The president's post has been contested only on four previous occasions in the 115-year old party. This is the first time a member of India's first political dynasty, the Nehru-Gandhi clan, has been challenged. The first contest took place in 1938-39 and the last occurred in 1998. Otherwise, the choice of leadership has been by consensus.

Sonia is the fifth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to head the party, which played a major role in India becoming a independent country from the British colonial rule in August 1947. The other members of the clan who held the positions were: Motilal Nehru followed by his son, Jawarhal Nehru. He was followed by his daughter, Indira Gandhi. She in return by Rajiv Gandhi.

The family has also thrown up three prime ministers in Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv over the years. Sonia is also the leader of the opposition in the 545-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.

(la/dpa)