Intriguing queries face power aspirants

Cong and BJP, as also their present & potential allies and foes, start with a number of assumptions & uncertainties

Several parties, even in these straitened times, are willing to become the Congress' allies. Despite all its publicly stated reservations, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will have no option but to do so for the general elections - not doing so would jeopardise the government run by the two parties in Maharashtra. Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal has proved the most loyal ally. He has overlooked the Congress' brief flirtation with the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar and is second to none in calling for Rahul Gandhi to become prime minister. And, although the Congress has no allies in Tamil Nadu, it has a clutch of alliance partners, however small, in Kerala; the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir still sees itself as a Gen-Next ally of Rahul Gandhi.

In other words, although they don't particularly like the Congress, most of its allies are not giving up on it. If the Congress performs as well as it did in 2009 - when it got 206 Lok Sabha seats to the 145 in 2004 - its allies are likely to see that party as their ticket to power.

A question that has not been answered conclusively is, if the Congress and allies get the numbers, who will be prime minister? January 17, the day the Congress has its plenary meeting, could answer the question. From his body language, party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi doesn't appear as averse to taking the top job as he's supposed to have been earlier. He is addressing policy issues (as at the annual general meeting of Ficci) and tackling problems inside the party.

His career path - of general secretary in charge of youth organisation earlier and the of party vice-president now- signals a readiness to take on challengers to the party. Although personally said to favour a stint in the Opposition, Gandhi might have no choice if his party and allies get enough numbers to form a government. More so as those in the party, like Digvijaya Singh, who have publicly articulated the view that a system with a dual centre of authority doesn't really work, have not been pulled up.

There is some concern in the party that if their numbers drop and the strength of the allies goes up, a weakened Congress might face more demanding allies and Gandhi might not be able to handle this. But the Congress is actually not thinking so far ahead. The mantra is allies, allies and more allies.

However, it is noteworthy that this is completely out of sync with the younger Gandhi's own belief, that the Congress has to eventually find its own metier. That it should not seek partners which leach its strength and, instead, fight elections on its own. This injects a creative tension between those of the party - like A K Antony and Ahmed Patel - who are pragmatists and recognise the need for allies to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from forming a government, and those like Gandhi who believe the intrinsic core of the Congress must become stronger.

What of policies if the Congress comes to power again ? Despite Finance Minister P Chidambaram's lofty pronouncement ("we will form a government that combines a passion for growth with compassion for the poor"), there is no doubt at all that inclusiveness will be the order of the day. Whether this will mean more subsidies is a function of affordability.