Rahul Gandhi on Friday held discussions with Congress leaders from Bihar on the Lok Sabha elections early next year but there was no decision on the issue of alliances in the crucial state.
"The issue of alliances did come up for discussion but no decision was taken. There will be some more discussions on the issue before the party finally decides whether to go in it alone or align with any party," Congress sources said.
Congress is warming up with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) in recent months after parting ways with BJP in the state as also the NDA at the national level.
Lalu Prasad's RJD has been an outside supporter of UPA-II since 2009 and was a key constituent of the ruling alliance at the Centre from 2004 to 2009.
RJD, which is facing a difficult situation since Lalu was sent to jail recently in a fodder scam case, is also wooing Congress.
The review meeting with the Congress Vice President also decided that Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address a rally in Kishangunj next month and Rahul Gandhi in January end in Patna.
Besides CLP leader Sadanand Singh and PCC Chief Ashok Chaudhary, the meeting was attended by AICC General Secretaries C P Joshi and Janardan Dwivedi and Political Secretary to Congress President Ahmed Patel.
The meeting was held in the backdrop of attempts by BJP to widen its reach in the state soon after Narendra Modi was made its prime ministerial candidate.
Congress has been out of power in Bihar since 1989 in the wake of the Mandal and the Mandir surge.
Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan said in Patna that he failed to understand why Congress was "dithering" to join RJD-LJP alliance which is intact in spite of sentencing of Lalu Prasad.
"We (RJD-LJP) have been saying that we the secular parties should come together to beat BJP and JD(U) in Bihar ... But I do not know why Congress is dithering," Paswan told reporters.
Asked if Congress' tilt towards JD(U) could be the reason, he said, "Only they (Congress) can answer this." Paswan said he had no meeting with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi during the last one month.
He also categorically ruled out any tie-up with ruling JD(U) in Bihar which has 40 Lok Sabha seats.
"We are strongly with RJD in Bihar. So where is the question of tie-up with JD(U) in 2014 polls?" he said, and also dismissed the possibility of becoming part of any Third Front.
In another politically crucial state - Uttar Pradesh - Congress will go it alone in the Lok Sabha elections, according to AICC General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry.
Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, is the home state of the Gandhi-Nehru family and has sent 22 Congress members to the Lower House in the last general elections.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}