NEW DELHI, May 30: Congressmen predictably returned to the dynastic fold today after initial sabre-rattling. Rivals till yesterday, Congress chief Sitaram Kesri and Sharad Pawar, went back to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's widow, Sonia, as their only salvation to avoiding a clash in elections to India's oldest party post.

The third man in the contest for Congress party president, Rajesh Pilot, however trekked out a lone path, saying Sonia Gandhi's name was being dragged into the election unnecessarily.

Pilot also opened his election fund in the Connaught Place branch of the Union Bank of India, in a bid to provide transparency to the murky elections.The main refrain of the day was `Sonia Gandhi' as Kesri and Pawar practically stepped on each other's toes while appealing to 10, Janpath, to come to their rescue. Both mouthed a similar theme: That they would withdraw from the race if Sonia would take the responsibility of leading the party.

``I have been saying since 1991 (after Rajiv Gandhi's death) that Soniaji should take over. Pawar has said it only yesterday. Even now if she chooses to be a candidate, I will have no hesitation in stepping down,'' Kesri said.

There was a similar echo from the Pawar camp. His spokesperson AR Antulay said they had been stressing on this for a long while now. Predictably, there was no word of any sort from Sonia Gandhi on whether she would accept this onerous task.

She had only become a primary member of the Congress in March this year and has since been elected to the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee from Gauriganj.

As of now, this only gives her a vote to elect the Congress president, the PCC chief and AICC delegates from UP.

And if Kesri and Pawar's pleas that Sonia enter the race have to be heeded, then the ongoing poll process has to be scrapped and a fresh exercise started to accommodate her.

Rajesh Pilot, meanwhile, refused to cow down to `consensus' pressure.``If Kesri and Pawar are such faithful followers of Soniaji, let them withdraw. Then we can sit and discuss,'' quipped Pilot.

Since this seems unlikely at the moment, Kesri and Pawar kept up their respective campaigns. Both have more than their rivals to battle against to become Congress president. History is also against any potential winner in the election. The two high-profile elections for the Congress presidency in the past were in 1938 and 1950. Subhas Chandra Bose won in '38 and Purushottam Das Tandon was the victor in '50.

The catch is that both had to quit the post within a few months after facing stiff opposition, Bose was out after four months and Tandon in six.

This should prey on the minds of Kesri and Pawar as they gear up for June 9.

Some efforts were made at brokering peace, notably by Y S Rajashekara Reddy and A K Antony. Both failed and Reddy later issued a statement saying his group would vote first preference for Pilot and second preference for Pawar. Reddy, however, commands negligible votes and this is largely symbolic.

Antony is still trying and is slated to keep meeting Pilot and Pawar. Pilot shot down any suggestions for a compromise saying the issue was closed. ``I am going on a country-wide tour and K P Singh Deo will talk to the media on my behalf,'' he said.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.