``The Prime Minister has asked me accompany him. I am the only person from Delhi who has been chosen. You see, I went to college in Lahore. It is a great honour for me to be part of this historic journey,'' Malhotra gushed.

Malhotra, recently been made the in-charge of the BJP Delhi unit, is said to be in the good books of both Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and party chief Kushabhau Thakre's close aides. In fact, with M.L. Khurana and Sushma Swaraj, the stars of the Delhi BJP, being sidelined, Malhotra has emerged as the alternate, though relatively low-profile leader.

``His stars are really good at the moment. Madan Lal Khurana could not wangle the invitation even though he was desperately cutting a pro-Vajpayee, pro-minority image. It was important for them who is ultimately called from Delhi,'' a BJP sympathiser and analyst said.

At the other end of the spectrum, CM Dikshit was neither keen nor enthusiastic about the journey. Till mid-day she had not confirmed whether she would be joining the PM on the trip.

Both Malhotra and Dikshit are supposed to board the bus from Amritsar and will be travelling with Vajpayee. Dikshit, though not keen to be part of the mixed crowd travelling with the Prime Minister, was not in a position to turn down the offer, given the historic nature of the trip.

``A representation from the Congress government in Delhi, which will be ultimately running the bus service, was a must,'' a senior Dikshit aide said late in the evening. She is reportedly taking her OSD along so that she does not feel uncomfortable or left out in the crowd.