Patel said the modalities would be worked out later and the party high command would be informed, to enable it to take the final decision on the electoral understanding. Patel said that if a tie-up with the RJP clicked, then the combine could wrest at least seven parliamentary seats from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat.

Among these seats are Patan, Mehsana, Dhandhuka, Surendranagar and Kutch.

Patel and Vaghela will meet once again before giving final shape to their joint contest formula. Patel said both the Congress and the RJP had learnt from their past experience and that Shankersinh Vaghela was quite serious about the tie-up this time.

However, the manner in which the Congress has responded to Vaghela's offer of an alliance is amazing.Though party leaders disagree, the move betrays a lack of confidence in the Congress' ability to fight the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections single-handed.

The response is amazing also because till the other day, party leaders in the State were sparing no chance to ridicule any such feelers sent by the RJP. In fact, in private, Congress leaders were describing the RJP as a party of no consequence as far as electoral adjustments went.

However, now they find it perfectly all right to join hands with the RJP with the common motive of defeating communal forces. Former Chief Minister Chhabildas Mehta insists that there is no question of the party rushing to the RJP because of lack of confidence. ``We believe, in principle, that we should join hands with secular forces and it is true that we are exploring the possibility of a tie-up with RJP,'' Mehta said.

Asked about the progress in the talks, he said he was not involved in negotiations this time. Last year, when the two parties had unsuccessfully tried tohave a truck for Bharuch Lok Sabha by election, Mehta was involved in talks.

There is one more shift in the Congress leaders' attitude to the RJP. Now they seem to have accorded it the status of a national level political party. ``Since the RJP is a national level party, decisions over political alliance have to be taken at the national level only,'' says a press release of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC).

Senior party leaders defend the change in posture. They say that both the sides have learnt their lessons from the past and things ``will take a definite shape'' but nothing can be said with certainty unless the party high command makes up its mind. A party functionary expressed hope that if a tie-up worked out, the RJP might not insist on having the ratio (50:50) it had demanded in 1998 Assembly elections.