Mumbai: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took charge for a second term on May 22, 2009. He is only the second PM after Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to power after a full five-year term.
A member of the Indian National Congress, Manmohan is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam. He has never won a Lok Sabha election.
An economist by profession, Manmohan was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India from 1985 to 1987 and the Finance Minister of India from 1991 to 1996.
As Manmohan steps into office for his second term as PM, the road ahead looks tough. It's far from the smooth ride in 1991, when the 58-year-old Finance Minister had played a pivotal role in liberalising India's economy. His track record had helped the Congress in 2004 to reclaim the agenda of economic reforms, pulling the carpet from under the NDA's India Shining campaign.
But it was 2008 when that India found Dr. Singh coming into his own, resolutely pushing the nuclear deal, even if it meant breaking away from the Left. Ironically, his victory now is based on a mix of Left and Congress policies: The return of the 'Hand' to the aam admi, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme that became a cornerstone of the campaign, and, of course, the unprecedented farm loan waivers to the tune of Rs. 70,000 crore, yet another shift away from Manmohanomics, which was more in tune with the SEZ mania.
As polls drew closer, Dr Singh underwent a bypass surgery. Back to work within weeks, came the moment of assertion. Sonia Gandhi gave him entire credit for the new Congress manifesto. A loaded gesture that silenced detractors within the party: Dr. Singh, not Rahul Gandhi, would be the Congress' Prime Ministerial candidate.
Emboldened, for the first time, he took on L. K. Advani's personal insults, bringing back into focus Advani's term as Home Minister between 1998 and 2004, a term battered by the debacle at Kandahar, inability to predict the Kargil infiltration and the bloody communal riots in Gujarat. ''He calls me weak. It is Advani, not I , who is weak.''
The strongest criticism against Singh: He is not an elected leader. Yet his incorruptible image, and his academic background finds appeal among middle-class voters.
Manmohan, yet again, is king. So, will his voice ring out stronger in this government?