WINS IN TRUST VOTE

New Delhi: On a tumultuous day for Indian politics, speeches good and bad, drama over cash bribes for votes, the UPA Government won the vote of confidence in Parliament. The Government got 275 votes in favour and 256 against and abstentions were two. Total of 487 members participated in the trust vote.

In a House with an effective strength of 541, it was not immediately clear how many abstained. The results were announced after nearly an hour when officials corrected the

initial figures, which showed 253 votes in favour of the motion, 232 against and two abstentions.

In the din caused by BJP members demanding Prime Minister's resignation and shouting down his speech, Singh laid his reply to the debate on the table of the House.

As Opposition members pressed for a division, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee ordered voting by electronic voting machine.

Even before the final result was announced, ruling alliance members went to the Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to greet them on the victory in the confidence motion, the first in over four years of this Government.

The Prime Minister sought the confidence of the House after the Left parties, which provided outside support since May 2004, withdrew it on the issue of Government operationalising the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal by approaching the IAEA.