Mumbai: The sensex reacted negatively and ended lower by 74 points after early volatility prompted by the end of political drama with the selection of Manmohan Singh as the next Prime Minister.

The BSE Benchmark 30-share Index, which witnessed wide fluctuations in a range of about 150 points during the first 15 minutes of trading, generally moved downwards and closed at 4932.11 as against yesterday's (May 19, 2004) close of 5006.10, a net fall of 73.99 points.

The S&P CNX Nifty also dropped by 27.25 points or 1.74 per cent to 1540.60 at 3.30 hrs (IST) from previous close of 1567.85.