Tuesday, November 22 2005 16:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Lalu Prasad's defeat in Bihar is in a way seen as a blessing in disguise for Congress and the party-led coalition at the Centre and the election results are unlikely to have any serious repercussions on the Government.

Formal denials by the ruling party notwithstanding, Congressmen are said to be not completely upset over the 'flickering' of the 'lantern', the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) symbol, and feel that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition would now run more smoothly, given Lalu's tendency to dictate things with 24 Lok Sabha members behind him.

"It is a win-win situation for us both at New Delhi and in Patna" was the frank admission of a senior Congress leader who for obvious reasons declined to be named.

Besides, no one in the Congress is lamenting over the sorry plight of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Ram Vilas Paswan, who sought to fish in troubled waters for a second time.

The demand for Paswan's ouster from the UPA and coalition could gather momentum in the coming days but it is uncertain what shape it would finally take, alliance sources say.

Manmohan Singh and his Government had suffered most of the problems from the opposition due to the 'tainted' ministers from RJD, including Lalu Prasad, and therefore the 'downsizing' in Bihar is a news to cheer about.

The RJD supremo, known for his not so gentle ways, had rode roughshod over the sensibilities of the Congress and the Prime Minister, hailed by all for his simplicity and unassuming style on many issues.

"We will no longer be at the mercy of Prasad on anything. He will no longer be able to bamboozle us. His downsizing makes us more powerful", another leader said adding that the Bihar outcome would have "no serious repercussions" on the Center.

The refrain of Congress leaders is that there would not be much problem for the government at the Center except that it had to suffer a bit of embarrassment due to 'some noise' by RJD MPs in Parliament.

Their argument is that Prasad would now be more dependent on Congress instead of the reverse situation and therefore the Manmohan Government will be 'sitting pretty'.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi had last week rejected the possibility of any "negative effect" of an adverse verdict in the Bihar elections on the UPA coalition at the Center.

Gandhi had sought to back her point by, interestingly, citing the setbacks suffered by the NDA immediately after it came to power at the Center.

"In 1998, it lost power in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Nothing happened to them. I bank on that experience," she had quipped.

Prasad enjoys a special equation with Gandhi as he was the first non-Congress leader who had been projecting her as the Prime Ministerial candidate for several years.

Party men are not worried over the poor show of Congress in the polls and feel that it has given a golden opportunity to start fresh on its own and free from being appendage of Lalu Prasad.

Congress points man in Bihar Digvijay Singh, a staunch champion of the alliance with RJD, has naturally sought to put up a brave face, saying his party would not ditch RJD, which has been a dependable ally.