Lalu Prasad Yadav meets Sonia Gandhi

Boosted by a surprise good performance in the recently concluded bye-elections in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader began his tentative campaign to re-enter the UPA fold. He met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her home at 10 Janpath this morning, and is reported to have discussed the possibility of a tie for the Jharkhand Assembly polls.

Life has not been very pleasant for the former railway minister after her parted ways with the Congress as an electoral partner on the eve of the 2009 General Elections. Not only was his strength reduced from 24 MPs to just 4, but because of the bad blood just before elections, the Congress too did not extend itself to accommodating him at the Centre.
He also became a target for railway minister Mamta Banerjee who appears determined to prick Lalu Prasad’s image as the man who turned around the Indian Railways.

Out of the power at the Centre and in Bihar, the 8 seats which he and his ally, Lok Janshakti leader Ram Vilas Paswan won together. Along with the Congress’ two seats, the tally tots up to a respectable 10 seats, something he was heard repeating to Sonia Gandhi at the Prime Minister’s iftaar on Friday night.

Lalu Prasad is hoping his exile from power, in some form might come to an end now. It is upto Sonia Gandhi to decide whether she is willing to give up the go it alone policy the Congress has adopted in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar till now.