Last Lap: Nuke deal just needs US Senate nod

SIMPLE MAJORITY: The deal now needs to be cleared in the US Senate by a simple majority.

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New Delhi: The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is now in its last lap after the US House of Representatives cleared it early on Sunday.

The deal now needs to be cleared in the US Senate by a simple majority.

The Senate majority leader has promised a vote this week in his chamber and it could be taken up as soon as on Monday night.

But the Senate vote appears to be a formality since an identical Bill has already been approved by its Foreign Relations Committee earlier this week.

The formal agreement between India and the US will most likely be signed when US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice visits New Delhi in October.

Rice's visit to India slated for October 3 however, may be rescheduled, a top official in the PM's delegation indicated on Monday.

The US has requested for rescheduling her visit, the official said.

Official sources had earlier said that the agreement would be initialled on October 3 by Rice and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee if it got final approval of the US Congress by then.

Mukherjee, who is currently in the US, is expected to return home on October 3.

The official said India had some concern over part of the text of the agreement being considered in the Congress.

But, he said, India has been told by the US they would ensure this was duly addressed.