The Congress on Saturday decided to have a foot in the Mamata Banerjee's government in West Bengal and rushed party veteran Pranab Mukherjee and Bengal incharge Shakil Ahmed to Kolkata in the evening to convey the decision to the party MLAs.
The party's core committee that met on Friday night resolved to force Mamata form a coalition government with Congress, rejecting a view in the party that she should be given a free hand to let Trinamul Congress bagging thumping mandate to form the government on its own, a top party source said.
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The Trinamool Congress has won 184 seats in the 294-member state assembly as against its allies Congress and SUCI finishing with 42 and 2 seats respectively.
The formal announcement is delayed as the party wants to go through the normal process of consultations with the party MLAs.
Instead of extending an unconditional outside support and watch Mamata how she conducts herself as the chief minister, the core committee accepted the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's view that a coalition government in the state would send a positive signal from the very beginning and generate enthusiasm among the Congress workers to work for its success.
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Sources said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too felt that staying away from the government would not help in the party's growth in the state. She also felt that many party leaders may be lured away by Mamata, who has grown at the Congress's cost, if it stays away from power.
Mamata had broken away from the Congress 13 years ago to float own party after two years of skirmishes with the party leaders in Delhi and Kolkata.
Meanwhile, it is still not decided if Sonia will attend Mamata's coronation, as she is awaiting a personal invite from the latter to take a decision.
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A meeting of the Trinamool Congress legislature party is slated on Sunday to elect its leader and indications are that Mamata will take the oath as the chief minsiter on Wednesday.
Once she is elected, the Congress will also set in motion the process in a day or two to elect its own leader and then formally offer to her to join the new government, though it will be only a formality as Mukherjee is to speak to her Saturday night itself to suggest to her to go for the coalition government.
