Congress ready to sit in opposition

Congress party's general secretary Digvijay Singh said at the weekend "the heavens will not fall" is the Congress ultimately decides not to form a government after the elections, saying the option of sitting in opposition "is always open" to any political party. (The Asian Age and The Times of India)

Rahul Gandhi said he was confident "we will improve our tally (and) we will win and form the government" when asked how the paty would perform in the remaining two phases of the general election. (The Asian Age)

* The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), an ally of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, may join the Congress party after the election, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit told the CNN-IBN news channel.

"Nitish Kumar has hinted at joining Congress. But he has not confirmed as yet. He is waiting for the election results to decide which party to support," she told the TV channel.A BJP spokesman and a JD (U) spokesman refuted her statement. (Hindustan Times)