Winner

Sonia Gandhi: She has acquitted herself quite well by declining the PMship of India. Whatever be her reasons (security concerns, fear of failure or threats by anti-Sonia brigade), her refusal has saved severe embarassment for most Indians and I salute her for this. By allowing her MPs to go on and on on national TV about her importance, she has consolidated her position in the party.

Losers

Sushma Swaraj: She has come across as a moron. She has screwed up her cultivated image of three decades by threatening to tonsure her head. She should be banned from opening her mouth for the next 20 years.

The Supine Congress MPs: It was such a shame seeing one MP after another mouth inanities about how Sonia is the mother of the country and how the country will break into pieces if she refused to lead. The worst were Renuka Chowdhry and her crocodile tears, Mani Shankar Aiyer and his "Honourable Madam Prime Minister" and several others who I did not recognise.

Manmohan Singh: Don't get me wrong. I have the highest regards for this man. But imagine the plight of the poor man when he goes to a meeting to be elected leader of the CPP, and has to sit through three hours of "we will not accept anyone other than you as our leader, Madam!" How he will manage this flock of sheep is to be seen.

The institution of Prime Minister: This will probably be the first instance when the Prime Minister will not be the strongest leader of his party. He will have to be careful of not ruffling the feathers of the Queen Bee or her coterie.

Vir Sanghvi and the Hindustan Times: "Amazing Grace", shouted their headline today! The Catholic reference of the magic of Christ to Sonia is blasphemy in my opinion. And I did not expect HT to fall so low.