The ruling BJP coalition is not likely to put up a candidate against her. Her election, which is expected to be unanimous, is assured as the Congress and other secular parties have nearly double the members of the BJP and its allies. The BJP-led bloc can at best get the support of 80 MPs, while the Congress has the backing of 160 MPs in a House of about 240-plus members.

Heptulla's election is also a test run of the anti-BJP parties which are currently talking in terms of an alternative government, should Atal Behari Vajpayee's government fall. The Rajya Sabha dry run is an easy one but it reflects the composition of the anti-BJP bloc which is now actively seeking to topple the Vajpayee government.

It is these numbers which have stalled the BJP from acting on AIADMK chief Jayalalitha's insistent demandthat the Karunanidhi government be sacked in Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK's tough line on this issue has put the Union Government in an embarrassing position several times already and BJP leaders have often used their minority in the Rajya Sabha as one of the reasons why Jayalalitha cannot be appeased on this front.

Heptulla, however, took no chances with her election and in the past few days she went around seeking support from other parties in the company of Congress leader Manmohan Singh. The Left, which has a sizeable presence in the Rajya Sabha, was the first to assure support to Heptulla following which other parties backed her.

The Congress is likewise keen to get someone with their backing, if not their own candidate, elected as the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, but the BJP is stalling this election. No schedule has been set for this as yet and the Congress has begun consultations with other parties to repeat its Rajya Sabha success with Heptulla.

Heptulla has an easy access to members of the Upper Houseand has been in the deputy chairperson's post for 11 years earlier. She was first elected to the post in 1985, held it for a year and then quit to take up the post of AICC general secretary, when Rajiv Gandhi was Congress president.

She returned to the deputy chairperson's post in 1988 and held the post till 1992. Her third term as deputy to the Vice-President in the House was from 1992 to 1998. Heptulla has been close to the Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, Sharad Pawar, but she also has good links with 10, Janpath. All this helped in clearing her candidature with minimum fuss and it was, apparently, one of the easiest decisions Sonia Gandhi had taken as party president so far.