With the wrangling for allies in earnest ahead of election results due Saturday, women leaders hold an inordinate amount of power in deciding who will form the new Indian government.

Women leaders have always had a role in the rough and tumble of Indian politics, from Sarojini Naidu and Annie Besant in the independence struggle to Indira Gandhi, the second woman in the world to become prime minister.

Women leaders are perhaps at the peak of their influence now, with Gandhi's political heir regarded the most powerful of them all -- indeed, the most powerful political leader in the country.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is credited with energising the party and leading it to a surprising victory in the 2004 election, and she looks to have the lead this time around too, according to exit polls.

Gandhi, once voted the world's sixth most powerful woman by Forbes, walked away from the prime minister's job in 2004, but her influence over party allies and even with the on-again off-again left is unquestionable.

Her influence though, doesn't extend to Mayawati, the feisty and controversial leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party and chief minister of the potentially swing state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends a whopping 80 seats to the lower house.

Mayawati, hailed as queen of the lower-caste Dalits, is part of the Third Front, and a prime ministerial aspirant whose ambition mirrors her party's elephant symbol.

Known for her lavish birthday celebrations and love for giant statues of herself, Mayawati's massive following among lower caste Hindus, tribes and other backward classes is not to be trifled with.

At the other end of the spectrum is J. Jayalalithaa, a convent school-educated high-caste Hindu and leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the potentially swing state of Tamil Nadu.

The former film star, a part of the Third Front, has allied in the past with both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, and could be a kingmaker this time. A win for AIADMK would boost the prospects of the Third Front, and Jayalalithaa, who was once jailed on corruption charges, will be a vital pawnbroker.

As will Mamata Banerjee, leader of Trinamool Congress in left-ruled West Bengal state. With exit polls pointing to an erosion of support for the left, Banerjee -- who drove Tata Motors' Nano car project out of the state -- is on a good wicket.

"The outcome of this endgame is linked to women," political analyst Yogendra Yadav wrote in The Hindu newspaper.

Perhaps their examples will inspire more women to take the plunge into politics; there were only about 550 women candidates against more than 7,500 men candidates. Or are they not quite the role models we seek?

As election fever reaches its peak amid the counting of votes on Saturday, all eyes are now on which party will cobble up a majority and stake claim to form the new government. And who will be India’s new prime minister? Will it be –

MANMOHAN SINGH

The father of India’s economic reforms, Singh’s image of a compromise prime minister opened him up to criticism that he took orders from Congress party boss Sonia Gandhi and he has been criticised as a weak and directionless leader.

He regained stature by pushing through a civil nuclear deal with the United States, despite opposition from his left allies.

Singh, 76, takes a keen interest in economic issues — a rarity in India where prime ministers focus mostly on foreign affairs and domestic politics.

LAL KRISHNA ADVANI

Variously described as a hardliner, a hawk and a wily politician, Advani is a leading advocate of his Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) trademark Hindu revivalism.

Born in Pakistan when it was a part of undivided India — he is hawkish about ties with Islamabad — the 81-year-old is more of a career politician than technocrat.

When Advani’s own coalition government was in power in 1999-2004, it pushed pro-market reforms including privatisation of state-run companies.

MAYAWATI

A caste-based politician known as the “Queen of the Dalits”, Mayawati, who uses only one name, has emerged as a strong political force.

Based in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, 53, has prime ministerial ambitions and she has played an important role in gathering opposition to the government.

If Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party does well, it could cast doubt on what economic direction a future government with her would take and further entrench caste politics nationally.

Will one of the three head the new government in the coming weeks? Or is there a dark horse waiting in the wings. Tell us who you are rooting for and why.