About three months back, Basu had expressed his desire to retire as Chief Minister and central committee member in view of his ailing health. At the conclusion of the seven-day congress here today, the party decided that he still had ``great contributions'' to make to its cause.

``We decided that he (Basu) is still in a position to discharge his responsibilities,'' politburo member Sitaram Yechuri told The Indian Express soon after the session ended this morning.

Earlier today, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, who was re-elected general secretary, had also indicated that the party still depended heavily on Basu, both in West Bengal and in national politics.

At a massive rally atthe Brigade Parade Ground, which concluded the congress, the 85-year-old patriarch was still the star attraction, both for the home crowd and delegates and participants from outside. Reflecting the new political line of the party, both Basu and Surjeet made the BJP's ``communalism'' the main target of their attack, while exhorting the Congress leadership to ``set its house in order'' and join the secular forces' fight against the BJP.

Basu seemed to have taken in his stride the defeat of his line in last night's voting at the party congress. The result of the vote, to both groups, was predictable because the rivals' strength was more or less known. While 441 delegates voted for the central committee decision not to join the UF government, 198 voted against it and 17 abstained.

``We are happy that our strength has increased over the past two years,'' said a West Bengal minister and prominent Basu loyalist, ``besides, the issue, far from being closed, will come up again when another such occasionarises.

In the coalition era in Indian politics, another such situation may not be far off.'' The rival group, led by politburo members Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri, were happier that their line had received such a huge backing at the congress.

At the rally, Surjeet indirectly cited the vote but claimed that it only reflected the ``democratic'' functioning of the party. ``Our party is not like the Congress where Sonia Gandhi speaks and everyone else keeps mum or like the BJP in which no one can speak against Advani. We can differ because our party is alive, and not dead.''

However, there was hardly any convincing answer either from Surjeet or Yechuri as to why the congress deferred the election of the new politburo. Except for L Gangadhar Rao, who was dropped from the central committee because of old age and ill-health, all the present politburo members were re-elected to the new 67-member central committee.