Congress Party Picks Low-Caste Leader

The Congress (I) Party, which ran India for much of its independence only to lose power this year, chose Sitaram Kesri, a low-caste confidant of the former prime minister, as its temporary president. Former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao resigned the party leadership after a judge ordered that he be charged with corruption. Kesri is a respected leader of low-caste Hindus in northern India. He has been party treasurer for the last 20 years. His leadership could swing low-caste votes toward the party in upcoming state elections in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.