Manmohan Singh too had joined the voters' queue in Guwahati on Thursday. And while this queue shortened rapidly, the queue to become PM could be lengthening.
"There will be a Congress government at the centre," Dr Manmohan Singh said.
However, the Prime Minister's close ally, Sharad Pawar, on Thursday, said that Manmohan Singh was not the automatic choice of the ruling UPA coalition.
"Congress has every right to project it's candidate. There is nothing wrong with that. But other parties also want to say something. I think when you take a decision on behalf of the UPA, it has to be discussed by the UPA," he said.
It's the second such snub to the Congress this week, by a close ally. The earlier one being by Lalu. But the Congress seems unfazed, despite the unraveling of its alliance.
"We are not going to compromise on our prime ministerial candidate," said Kapil Sibal, Congress spokesman.
But on Thursday, after the completion of the second phase of polling in thirteen states, the fate of the Congress and the UPA is pretty much sealed in the electronic voting machines.
Voting is largely over in Andhra Pradesh, Assam and most of Maharashtra -- states where the Congress and its allies have a large chunk of MPs.
And the UPA's current strongholds left to vote - Tamil Nadu being the biggest - are no longer seen to be sure-shot winners, for either the Congress or its allies.
