The United Front arrived at a consensus on April 19, 1997, to elect external affairs minister Inder Kumar Gujral as its leader in place of HD Deve Gowda. In an otherwise smooth election of the new leader, the only discordant note was the Tamil Maanila Congress’s (TMC) decision to support the government from outside. The Front’s decision, he said, was conveyed formally to the President early the next day.