Bihar feedback makes Cong rethink

The Congress is believed to have decided that its priority in the coming days will be to ensure the formation of a secular government in Patna as it realises that the going is tougher for Laloo than it anticipated.

It will concentrate only on 11 of the 33 seats it is contesting in Bihar in the third round. While it cannot retire its candidates in the other 22 constituencies at this stage, it is likely to put its weight behind the candidate—from Laloo Yadav’s RJD or Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP—who is in a position to win.

It will have to work on how to send the right message to the voter. The Congress’ strategy so far has been to rein in Laloo in Bihar so that he would have to depend on the Congress for forming a government in Patna and thereby be less powerful in Delhi. That’s why it decided to field candidates in 84 constituencies.

The Congress left 109 seats for Laloo, which he had held in 2000, but these are the seats which are Muslim- or Dalit-dominated and where the Congress might have made a dent. The Congress has had an understanding with Laloo in 121 seats and with Paswan in the remaining 122.

The Congress leadership is also relooking at the focus of Sonia Gandhi’s campaign in the state. She has referred to the anarchical situation prevailing in the state and has asserted that things should be better in the future. Though she has made an appeal to the voters to elect the Congress, she has also urged them to ensure a secular government is formed in Patna. This aspect may get stressed more, sources said.

There were also signs of some softening in the RJD’s stance on Tuesday as the results of the exit polls were coming in. Even as Laloo Yadav continued to maintain that his party would form the government on its own, he did say that his party would welcome the backing of the Congress, and even Paswan, were they to lend their support. After the first phase of polling, Union Minister and Laloo’s pointman in Delhi, Prem Gupta, had called on Sonia Gandhi and had reportedly urged her not to tour the constituencies where the RJD candidates are contesting.