NEW DELHI -- The upset election result in India has come with an unparalleled spectacle of the winning alliance leader deciding, on second thoughts, to be the kingmaker rather than the king.

In the process, the Roman Catholic, Italian-born Sonia Gandhi has positioned herself in a win-win situation. By first getting her party lawmakers and allied parties to support her bid to be prime minister and then, three days later, deciding not to take the top job in the world's largest democracy, Gandhi has won many hearts and put herself in a firm position to cash in on her sacrifice in the future.

The high drama in New Delhi left an impression that Gandhi's U-turn was linked to pressure from two quarters -- her two adult children, supposedly concerned about her safety; and the defeated Hindu nationalists, who had raked up controversy anew over her foreign origin. In reality, however, Gandhi's volte-face appears a canny, calculated move.