In a historic vote, the US Senate passed legislation to enable the Indo-US nuclear deal, four months after the House of Representatives had passed a similar measure.
This is the penultimate stage in bringing to fruition the vision Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush had laid out in their joint statement of July 18, 2005.
The vote is being seen as a victory not just for the Dr Singh and Bush administrations, but for the Indian American lobby in the US, too.
Various proposed amendments, which were opposed by the Indian nuclear scientists' community, the Opposition parties and the Left, have been defeated.
The House and Senate leadership will now meet in conference committee to resolve differences between the two bills. The joint legislation that results will go to President Bush for his signature -- and with that, the deal will be done.
Primarily, though, it is a victory for Dr Singh, who has in the face of often virulent opposition stuck to his guns, and to the deal, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to pull it off.
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