Soon after the Assembly results, Sonia Gandhi had called a meeting of senior party leaders to take stock. The view that emerged at the meeting was that an attempt should be made to form a ‘secular’ government in both Bihar and Jharkhand.

Congress partner Shibu Soren was eager to stake his claim to form a government and it was felt that the Congress should lend support to him. Many leaders feared that Soren might just join hands with the BJP. There were rumours that the JMM leader had met BJP chief LK Advani during the course of the campaign. So it was decided that the party would convey its go-ahead to Soren and let him line up the requisite numbers, if he could.

The Congress not only gave its consent for the formation of the government but lent its weight behind the effort. When Ahmed Patel, Congress president’s Political Secretary, decided to despatch Ajit Jogi and Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi to Ranchi, it sent its own message.

Jogi and Dasmunsi played a role in persuading Stephen Marandi to accept Deputy Chief Ministership under Soren. Earlier, Marandi had been insisting on chief ministership in return for the support of his three MLAs.

The Congress is also believed to have played a role in persuading Laloo to back a JMM-led government in Jharkhand. After Prem Gupta, Union Minister and a lieutenant of Laloo Yadav, called on Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday morning, things started to fall in place.

Sonia called her senior party colleagues—they included Pranab Mukherji, Shivraj Patil, Arjun Singh, M L Fotedar, Mohsina Kidwai, Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel—to ascertain their views on the question of supporting Laloo in Bihar. Barring one or two voices which talked feebly about exploring the option of going with Paswan and JD(U), most leaders were for supporting Laloo.

Pranab Mukherji is believed to have come down heavily on all those who could even contemplate exploring possibilities other than Laloo who has been the most trusted ally of the Congress.

The upshot of the exercise was the announcement by the RJD that its seven MLAs in Jharkhand would stand behind Soren, and the Congress sent a letter of support to Rabri Devi for the formation of a ‘secular’ government in Bihar. ‘‘Once we have done that, it is upto Laloo to rustle up the numbers in Bihar,’’ remarked a Congress leader.

The Congress blames the NDA for playing dirty in Jharkhand. The Congress had the support of 42 MLAs: 26 Congress MLAs, 7 RJD, NCP 1, CPI(M-L) 1, Forward Bloc 2, and Stephen Marandi Group 3. Other than these 40, the party had the support of the Jharkhand Party led by N E Horo and he had given it in writing to the Governor that his party was supporting the UPA. But the lone Jharkhand Party MLA, Congress leaders alleged, had been kidnapped from near his village, taken away in a helicopter and terrorised into supporting the NDA.

The Congress claimed it also had the support of Independent Harinarain Rai who too was being held ‘‘against his will.’’ Party leaders argued that even if these two were considered ‘‘disputed’’, as both sides claimed to have their support, the tally would still be 40:39 in favour of the Congress, ‘‘legitimising the Governor’s invitation’’ to Soren.