NEW DELHI - Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, foreign minister in the recently ousted government, will be sworn in today as India's 12th prime minister, ending three weeks of political turmoil, Raliul Bedi reports.
President Shankar Dayal Sharma yesterday gave Mr Gujral's centre-left coalition until tomorrow to prove its majority of 272 deputies in the 545-member Lok Sabha (lower house).
Mr Gujral (77), a former diplomat known for his left-wing leanings, was elected leader of the United Front on Saturday after Mr H.D. Deve Gowda stepped down as prime minister when the Congress Party withdrew its support and his United Front coalition lost a vote of confidence. Congress, which had been demanding Mr Gowda's resignation, has pledged to support another centre-left United Front coalition under Mr Gujral. He will be India's third prime minister in less than a year.