Indian Prime Minister and leader of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) Atal Behari Vajpayee (L) opens his mouth to receive an offering of a sweet by a Sikh supporter in New Delhi on October 7. Such offerings of sweets are traditionally given to victors in India. The BJP-led coalition was set to return to power as the vote count in last month's staggered elections reached the final rounds.

SM/PB