NEW DELHI, JULY 28: As the day of reckoning draws near, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is grappling with her biggest dilemma yet: To contest or not to contest. Although she has not conveyed her decision to the party, two proposals are under serious consideration in her kitchen cabinet: One, that she opt out of the fray; and two, that she draft Rahul in to stand from the family seat of Amethi.The emergence of Rahul, and not Priyanka, as the possible dynastic successor has surprised Congress circles, which have always thought he was not interested in politics. However, Rahul's prominent role in the resignation crisis following the attack on Sonia's Italian origin, seems to have changed all that. He was very active as her main advisor and sources close to 10 Janpath revealed that even after he returned to London, he has been keeping close tabs on the political scene here. He has been ringing up his mother virtually every day and only talking politics, sources said. It seemed to be a hint that his initiationhad begun.Sonia's dilemma over a decision that could change the course of Congress politics stems from the fact that she is still trying to assess the impact of staying out of the fray. Her advisors are divided on the issue. Many feel that by not contesting, she would blunt the ``foreigner'' campaign against her. Instead of being defensive, the Congress could then aggressively focus on its ``misgovernance'' charge against the Vajpayee Government. The flip side is that she would be seen as running scared, thereby legitimising the charge levelled by the BJP and Sharad Pawar that her foreign origin makes her unsuitable for the post of Prime Minister. This would demoralise Congress workers, her loyalists have argued.However, there is a pragmatic calculation underlying the proposals currently being debated in 10 Janpath. With all indicators pointing to another hung Parliament, the Congress would have to consider heading a coalition if it can rustle up enough support to beat the BJP in the numbers game. Afterher bruising experience with government formation in April, Sonia is not ready to have another bash at juggling with a fractured verdict. By staying out, she feels the Congress will have room to manouevre.In the unlikely event of the Congress being able to form a government on its own (with outside support from the Left, if necessary), she has the option of following Narasimha Rao's example and contesting a by-election. Otherwise, she will remain the Rajmata of the Congress dynasty.The contours of 10 Janpath's alternative gameplan are slowly emerging. Another pointer is the decision to field former finance minister Manmohan Singh for the South Delhi seat, although he still has a year left of his Rajya Sabha term. Singh is widely seen as Sonia's nominee for a stand-in Prime Minister and his name had cropped up as the possible head of a Congress-led coalition government after the Vajpayee Government fell in April.Singh has declined on the plea that a Lok Sabha election was not his ``cup of tea'', buthe is under tremendous pressure to run and Congress circles feel that he may have no choice if 10 Janpath insists.Sonia, herself, has been dropping broad hints in her election speeches that she may not contest. At a rally in Rajnandgaon in Madhya Pradesh yesterday, she insisted that her decision to enter politics was not motivated by the desire for power. She has also been telling those meeting her that the prime minister issue will be settled after the elections by Congress MPs. Congress circles have interpreted these as signals of her disinclination to contest.As she agonises over the dilemma before her, she is acutely aware that time is running out.
