Under the proposed seating plan, Defence Minister George Fernandes has been relegated to the second row in order to accommodate three former prime ministers (Chandra Shekhar, Deve Gowda and I K Gujral) and the seniormost parliamentarian, Indrajit Gupta. Since their respective parties are very small, they would otherwise have been seated at the back but the BJP was anxious to follow the convention that ex-PMs sit in the front.

A behind-the-scenes tussle between the Congress and BJP had been on for a month, with the BJP requesting the former to cooperate by giving up two of its seats so that the four senior MPscould be accommodated in the front rows. Similarly, the BJP offered to part with two of its own seats. But the Congress refused to give up even one, arguing that it had several former chief ministers who were entitled to sit in the front.

Today, the BJP swallowed its pride and gave up three of the 10 seats it was entitled to. It has kept only three seats for itself for the Prime Minister, Home Minister L K Advani and HRD Minister M M Joshi -- despite the fact that it is the largest single party in the Lok Sabha.

Bowing to the dictates of coalition politics, the BJP has allocated its remaining four seats to allies. While two are senior ministers Law Minister Thambi Durai (AIADMK), Food Minister S S Barnala (Akali Dal) -- the other two are the TDP's K Yerrannaidu (only a second-time MP) and Mamata Banerjee (Trinamul Congress), whose parties are giving outside support to the government.

Traditionally, the Finance Minister, Defence Minister, Railway Minister and I and B Minister also occupy the frontseats in the Treasury benches.

Although the 11-MP Samata Party is an important ally, it seems that the party has decided that smoothening the path of the government is of overriding importance. Earlier this week, it formally gave up its demand for the dismissal of the Bihar Government. Today it forfeited its right to front seats. Despite their seniority, both as MPs as well as their ministries, neither Fernandes nor Railway Minister Nitish Kumar will occupy the front row. In the pre-sound byte era, the attraction of front seats was only that they were an acknowledgment of seniority. But with the televising of proceedings, the 20 front seats have become a coveted means for wide -- and free -- publicity.