India's Congress Party says coalition partners have unanimously backed Sonia Ghandi to be the new prime minister.
Congress Party official Manmohan Singh made the announcement following a late Sunday meeting with representatives of other parties at Ms. Ghandi's house. Efforts have been made to assemble a new government since the Congress Party's upset election victory last week.
Mr. Singh said Ms. Ghandi will stake her claim with India's president on Monday or Tuesday, once the final shape of the government is determined.
The two Communist parties, vital coalition members, met Sunday to decide whether to join the government or simply support it from the outside, but have not yet publicly announced a decision.
One of the key issues facing the new government concerns the pace of economic liberalization pushed by the outgoing government, led by the Hindu nationalist party BJP.
Among the coalition partners agreeing Sunday to back Ms. Ghandi as prime minister is Sharad Pawar, who had earlier broken away from the Congress Party because he said he could not support the Italian-born Ms. Ghandi to lead the nation. She will now become India's first foreign-born prime minister.
The Congress Party officially elected her as its leader on Saturday.
Ms. Gandhi will also be the first Christian to lead the mainly Hindu, but constitutionally secular, India.