With the inputs coming in from above two states suggesting that Congress would be losing, as TRS and JD (S) have decided to join the third political formation, which includes Telugu Desam Party, BSP and Left parties.

The issue is expected to come up in the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, an apex body of the ruling party that would meet on January 29. The agenda of the meeting is to discuss strategy for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked AP chief minister Y S Rajshekhar Reddy to explore the possibility of winning TRS back to UPA fold. Reddy and APCC chief D Srinivas had recently held a meeting with the Congress president.

The TRS, a regional political outfit that has strength of five MPs in the current Lok Sabha, was part of the ruling United Progressive Alliance till few months back. It parted company with the ruling alliance accusing it of failing to fulfill its commitment on statehood for Telengana region of AP.

The Congress is hopeful of wooing TRS as the majority of the party leaders are against joining hands with TDP arguing that development in Telengana was worst hit during TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu's regime. The APCC president is reported to have held a meeting with TRS president and former Union minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.

Similarly, Congress general secretary M Veerappa Moily, who hails from Karnataka and has been a former chief minister of the State, has been entrusted with the responsibility of holding talks with JD (S) president and former Prime Minister H D Devegowada for a possible pre-poll alliance with his party. During the last Lok Sabha elections Congress had won majority of seats in AP and Karnataka. Any erosion in its base in these two states could cost dearly for the party.

The CWC is also expected to deliberate upon the issue of having an electoral understanding with Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. The possibility of Congress joining hands with Mamata Banerjee has brightened with Pranab Mukherjee back at the helm of the affairs of the party in his home state. Mukherjee has been again given charge of the state following the prolong illness of former Union minister and state Congress chief Priyo Ranjan Dasmunshi who is currently hospitalized.

Orissa is another state where Congress hopes to perform well this time because of strong anti-incumbency against the BJD chief minister Naveen Patnaik who earned the wrath of people after VHP and Bajrang Dal unleashed a reign of terror against Christian community killing pastors and nuns and setting their properties ablaze. Patnaik was accused to not taking stern against ultra-right pro-Hindu activists, as his party is an ally of the NDA led by BJP.#