New Delhi: With their roles reversed, it was a subdued BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and its allies returning to the Opposition benches as the 14th Lok Sabha got to a sedate start today (June 2, 2004) which saw Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hogging the limelight.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had for long spearheaded the Opposition onslaught as its leader, took a seat on the front row near the bench occupied by Leader of the Opposition and his long-time colleague L K Advani.

The BJP ranks with a large number of new faces and the absence of many a stalwart, including a number of ministers in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Government, were apparently still to reconcile with the shock defeat in the elections.

Old warhorses were again back in familiar territory in treasury benches. They included Pranab Mukherjee, Leader of the House, Sharad Pawar, Arjun Singh, Shivraj Patil, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad and P M Sayeed.

As if to show their clout in the new dispensation, RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) leader Pawar and DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) leader T R Baalu, all Union Ministers, positioned themselves in the front row close to Gandhi, whose son Rahul was in the third row behind her.

Gandhi, clad in a maroon sari and who took her affirmation in Hindi to loud applause, was the cynosure of all eyes. Member after member from Congress and its allies, including Union Ministers, made it a point to greet her.

Interestingly, Laxman Singh, brother of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, occupied almost the same row as earlier. Laxman had quit Congress and joined BJP just before the elections.

TRS (Telangana Rashtriya Samiti) leader and Union Minister A Narendra, who was a BJP member in the last Lok Sabha, this time continued to occupy the Treasury benches, having joined the TRS, spearheading the cause for a separate Telangana, ahead of polls.

Former Defence Minister and NDA convenor George Fernandes chose to sit on the last row in the Opposition side.

Film personalities, cutting across party lines, were seen huddled together.

Dharmendra, who won on BJP ticket from Bikaner in Rajasthan, and Jayaprada on SP ticket from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh were exchanging notes in middle rows with Vinod Khanna of BJP.

Union Minister Sunil Dutt, who won from Mumbai, took oath amid cheers from his Congress colleagues.