SITARAM KESRI

For the Congress president 1997 was a tragic year, when farce repeated itself as farce. On a sleepy Sunday in March, he jolted India by bringing down H.D. Deve Gowda's government. Eight months later, the Jain imbroglio forced him to unseat I.K. Gujral as well. Also shattered were an unctuous little man's hopes of becoming prime minister. As his party withers away, Kesri doesn't need an electoral victory to remain relevant in 1998; he needs a miracle.