Results revive Cong's UPA III dream

Enthused by the Bihar poll outcome, Congress leaders now believe that forging alliances is the only way forward to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next Lok Sabha elections.

These leaders also believe as a national party, it is the duty of the Congress to assume a leadership role and want vice-president Rahul Gandhi to seize the opportunity to forge a UPA-III.

However, Rahul himself steered clear of making any remarks on coalition politics during his brief interaction with the media at the party headquarters here.

Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram said the Bihar poll outcome will make non-BJP parties more confident in challenging the BJP despite the fact that it commands “enormous” resources, particularly financial. Congress leaders like R P N Singh, Shakeel Ahmed, Sanjay Nirupam credited Rahul Gandhi for getting the RJD and JD (U) agree to a pre-poll alliance.

“It is the duty of the Congress party to lead a UPA-III under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership to defeat Narendra Modi,” Nirupam told Deccan Herald.

Rahul himself has preferred a ‘go alone’ approach and has prioritised rebuilding the party organisation, which has been neglected over the years when the Congress was in power.

Sources in the grand-old party rejected the suggestion that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may emerge as a rallying point for non-BJP forces as they prepare to challenge Modi.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal are partners of such an alliance while Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati could also be talked to, given their preferences.

However, a section of the leaders sounded a word of caution by attributing the Bihar verdict to the charisma of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and the good governance provided by the Bihar CM.