Sonia meets Prez to discuss post-poll days

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday met President Pranab Mukherjee, a day after the exit-polls predicted a rout for her party and positing the possible formation of an NDA government led by the BJP’s Narendra Modi.During the hour-long meeting, she is understood to have discussed the post-poll scenario with the President.

Despite Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi ruling out support to a Third Front government, a section of party leaders has not ruled out cobbling up the numbers to form the government if the BJP-led NDA fails to reach the majority.

“In case the Congress and other secular parties have the numbers, we can give a shot to government formation,” a senior party leader said.

He pointed out that the President has to be convinced by a party or a group of parties of providing a stable government. “If the single largest party cannot provide a stable government, he can look at other groupings that can do so,” the leader said.

A section of the Congress feels that attempts should be made to unite the secular forces under the leadership of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha as the possibility of BSP or Trinamool leading such a dispensation may run into opposition from their regional rivals SP and Left parties, respectively.