1.
GV PARLIAMENT BUILDING (SILENT SHOT)
0.07

2.
SV INT..ANNOUNCEMENT BEING MADE OF THE NUMBER OF VOTES FOR EACH CANDIDATE (SOF)...
0.40

3.
SV MRS GANDHI MAKES HER WAY THROUGH CROWDS (SILENT SHOT)
0.44

4.
CU MRS GANDHI BEING COVERED WITH GARLANDS
1.01

5.
LV MRS GANDHI AT PRESS CONFERENCE
1.04

6.
CU MRS GANDHI ANSWERS QUESTION SOF ....
3.35


DECLARATION OF POLL



TRANSCRIPT: SEQ 2: CHAIRMAN: "THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES WHICH WERE CAST WERE FIVE-TWENTY SIX. MRS INDIRA GANDHI GETS THREE-FIFTY FIVE. MR. MORARJI DESAI GETS ONE-SIXTY NINE. MRS GANDHI IS THEREFORE ELECTED.



NEWS CONFERENCE



SEQ 6: INTERVIEWER: "CAN I ASK MRS GANDHI HOW SHE FEELS TO BE INDIA'S FIRST WOMAN PRIME MINISTER?



MRS GANDHI: "IN THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION ALL CITIZENS ARE EQUAL REGARDLESS OF SEX, RELIGION, LANGUAGE, STATE, OR ANY OTHER DIVISION. AND THEREFORE I AM JUST AN INDIAN CITIZEN, AND THE FIRST SERVANT OF THE LAND.



INTERVIEWER: "MRS GANDHI DO YOU PLAN ANY MAJOR CHANGES IN PRIME MINISTER SHASTRI'S DOMESTIC OR FOREIGN PROGRAMMES FOR THE TIME BEING? IMPORTANT CHANGES?"



MRS GANDHI: "MR. SHASTRI WAS CONTINUING THE POLICIES, THE BASIC POLICIES, OF MY FATHER AND THE ACCEPTED POLICIES OF THE CONGRESS PARTY. I CANNOT, NATURALLY, DEVIATE FROM THE POLICIES WHICH HAVE BEEN PASSED BY OUR PARTY. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU BY THE WAY THAT I AM NOT YET PRIME MINISTER. I AM ONLY THE LEADER OF THE PARTY IN PARLIAMENT.



INTERVIEWER: "DO YOU REGARD THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS AS BEING VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOU?"



MRS GANDHI: "IT IS TRUE THAT INDIA IS AT A VERY DIFFICULT STAGE JUST NOW AND THERE ARE MANY DIFFICULTIES ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT, THE FOOD FRONT, ON OUR BORDERS AND SO ON. BUT AS I SAID IN CENTRAL HALL A LITTLE WHILE AGO, THE INDIAN PEOPLE HAVE FACED UNTOLD DIFFICULTY THROUGH THE AGES. IN EVERY CRISIS THEY HAVE COME UP UNITED, DETERMINED, AND WITH SOME INNER STRENGTH WHICH SUSTAINS THEM. I CAN ONLY HOPE AND PRAY THAT THIS STRENGTH WILL BE GIVEN TO THEM, AND WITH A UNITED EFFORT WE SHALL BE ABLE TO OVERCOME OUR DIFFICULTIES. ONE OTHER QUESTION WAS ASKED FROM HERE ABOUT TASHKENT. WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU WANT TO KNOW? WHAT ABOUT IT?"



INTERVIEWER: "WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT TASHKENT?"



MRS GANDHI: "I AM ASKED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE TASHKENT DECLARATION. I HAVE ALREADY IN SOME INTERVIEW WELCOMED IT. NATURALLY, WE ARE PLEDGED... WE ARE... WE HAVE TO PLEDGE... WE HAVE TO HONOUR ANY PLEDGE MADE BY OUR PRIME MINISTER. THE TASHKENT DECLARATION IS A FIRST STEP, AND ANY STEP TOWARDS PEACE IS A GOOD STEP.




Initials PBS/V/CR/PC PBS/V/CR/ES



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: MRS INDIRA GANDHI, THE DAUGHTER OF THE LATE MR. NEHRU, YESTERDAY BECAME INDIA'S FIRST WOMAN POLITICAL LEADER WHEN SHE WAS ELECTED TO LEAD THE RULING PARLIAMENTARY CONGRESS PARTY.

FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY PARTY VOTED IN THE ELECTION. FINAL RESULTS WERE MRS GANDHI 355 VOTES, AND MR. MORARJI DESAI, HER ONLY OPPONENT, 169 VOTES. MRS GANDHI WAS NOMINATED BY THE ACTING PRIME MINISTER, MR. NANDA, WHO TOOK OVER LEADERSHIP ON THE DEATH OF MR. SHASTRI AT TASHKENT TEN DAYS AGO.

AFTER THE RESULT OF THE ELECTION WAS ANNOUNCED MR. DESAI TOLD CONGRESS PARTY MEMBERS HE WOULD CO-OPERATE WITH MRS GANDHI.

MRS GANDHI'S ELECTION WAS GREETED JUBILANTLY BY MEMBERS WHO HAD VOTED. SHE WAS SURROUNDED BY HAPPY SUPPORTERS, AND ADORNED WITH GARLANDS OF FLOWERS. SHE HAS PLEDGED TO DEVOTE HERSELF TO ALLEVIATING THE MANY PROBLEMS AT PRESENT FACING INDIA.

LATER AT A NEWS CONFERENCE ATTENDED BY INDIAN AND INTERNATIONAL NEWSMEN SHE SAID THAT INDIA WOULD CONTINUE TO ABIDE BY THE TASHKENT AGREEMENT SIGNED BY MR. SHASTRI AND PRESIDENT AYUB KHAN ONLY A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE INDIAN LEADER DIED.