Indian election victory for 2 Gandhis

NEW DELHI, May 16 (UPI) -- Rahul and Varun Gandhi, cousins from India's most prominent political family and now on opposite sides, were both winners in Saturday's vote count.

Varun Gandhi, a member of the Hindu Nationalist BJP, hung on to his parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh, The Times of London reported. Gandhi, arrested during the campaign following the release of an anti-Muslim speech, had a convincing majority.

But Rahul Gandhi saw his party, Congress, win more than 200 seats, leading the United Progressive Alliance to a majority. He is now being tipped as a likely prime minister in two or three years like his father, Rajiv Gandhi, his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul's mother and the Congress president, appeared at a news conference Saturday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She made it clear that Singh will lead the new government.

Political commentators immediately began speculating that Singh, 76, will step down in favor of Rahul Gandhi before he completes his second term.

Members of Congress carried banners with pictures of Rahul and his sister, Priyanka, as they celebrated the party's victory.