This is Steve Ember with In the News in VOA Special English.

India's Congress Party has defeated the party of Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee in national parliamentary elections. TheCongress Party and its allies won a majority of seats in thenational legislature. Congress Party leaders will form a newcoalition government and name a prime minister.

The elections were held for fivedays over a three-week period that ended on Monday. Mister Vajpayeeofficially resigned Thursday following the defeat of India's rulingcoalition, the National Democratic Alliance. The coalition, led byhis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, had been in power forfive years.

Leaders from the prime minister's B.J.P party and its alliesexpressed surprise at the election results. Mister Vajpayee and hisalliance were expected to easily win another five-year term.

Mister Vajpayee had organized the election six months earlierthan necessary after a series of political successes. His campaignnoted the country's eight percent growth rate, which made it one ofthe world's fastest growing economies. He also won praise for hisefforts to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan.

But experts say the B.J.P. campaign failed to win the support ofmillions of India's poor people. India is the world's largestdemocracy. But many Indians still live on less than one dollar aday. The Congress Party and its allies said they would help poorpeople if elected. They criticized the government for failing toprovide citizens with jobs, clean water and electricity.

Congress Party officials said India's new government wouldcontinue peace efforts with Pakistan begun by Mister Vajpayee. Thetwo countries re-opened peace talks last year.

Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi could become India's nextprime minister. But Missus Ghandi is unpopular with some Indiansbecause she was born in Italy. Missus Gandhi is the widow of formerIndian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was murdered in a bombingattack in nineteen-ninety-one. Rajiv Gandhi was the son of formerprime minister Indira Gandhi and grandson of India's first primeminister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Indira Gandhi was India's last femaleleader. She was murdered while in power in nineteen-eighty-four.

The Congress Party led by the Nehru-Gandhi family governed foralmost fifty years after India gained independence from Britain innineteen-forty-seven.

Sonia Gandhi took control of the Congress Party innineteen-ninety-eight as the B.J.P. was becoming more popular. But ayear later, she led her party to its worst-ever defeat inparliamentary elections. In recent months, however, she has workedto strengthen the Congress Party. She spoke at hundreds of campaigngatherings throughout the country. Her son Rahul won his own seat inthe Indian parliament.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk.This is Steve Ember.