The decision to bail Bansi Lal out of his current troubles is more or less final and Congress president Sonia Gandhi is believed to have asked AICC general secretary in charge of Haryana, Pranab Mukherjee, to inform Bansi as such. Mukherjee duly did so in his telephonic conversation this afternoon with Bansi Lal after the Haryana Chief Minister formally asked Mukherjee for his party's support.

Should this decision be taken to its logical conclusion, the Congress's 12 MLAs and five Independent MLAs will back the HVP on June 25 lending much-needed backing to Bansi's motion of confidence. However, the Congress has kept the post-June 25 scenario open amid indications that Bansi Lal could be asked to stepdown and choose his successor.

The basic formula approved by Sonia today is that the HVP first wins the motion of confidence and Bansi Lal carries the day. Following this, two options have been given to Bansi Lal by Mukherjee, top AICC sources said today. One that he merges his HVP with the Congress, a line ardently being pursued by CWC member Arjun Singh. This would mean a Congress government in Haryana and in this, Bansi could be asked to choose his successor and he himself move to the Centre in Congress politics.

Apparently, Sonia feels public anger is high against Bansi Lal and this move is necessary to keep the Congress morale high in the state. This plan ensures that the Congress runs the state government with a new CM, possibly PCC chief Bhupinder Singh Hooda or the CLP leader. Or even anyone else Sonia opts for.

The second option with Bansi Lal is that the HVP back a Congress government in the event of him not merging his outfit with the Congress. The view in 10, Janpath, is that Bansi Lal mayfind it tough to keep his flock of 35 MLAs together and that some dissidents could go with Om Prakash Chautala's INLD.

That would reduce the HVP to a further minority and the Congress is planning to ask for the HVP's outside support after June 25. In this case too, Bansi ceases to be CM and a new Congress nominee takes over. This is the two-pronged strategy understood to have been cleared by Sonia this evening after many rounds of discussions with senior colleagues today.

The logic behind this is to keep communal forces out of the scene, a stance earlier taken by Sonia when she kept Rabri Devi's RJD government going in Bihar. In this arrangement, which the Congress is hoping will work, Bansi wins the June 25 show and retains his credibility. The Congress then steps in and takes up the cudgels against the BJP-INLD tie-up in the name of secularism. Bansi moves to the Congress centre.

Apparently, PCC chief Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former PCC heads S S Sujrewala and Birender Singh have been sounded out onthis. The only thorn in the flesh here is former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal who is strongly opposed to any support to the HVP. Bhajan Lal had a verbal joust with Natwar Singh two days ago in the AICC headquarters and had to be dragged away by his supporters before the situation turned ugly.

He has vowed to oust Bansi but the Congress leadership is not too worried about Bhajan Lal. The feeling in 10, Janpath, is that Bhajan is not a factor at the moment and in any case, Bansi's likely stepping down after June 25 should keep Bhajan happy.

Bhajan himself was surly today. When contacted he said: ``Things are in the dark now. I am meeting madam (Sonia) tonight and will speak tomorrow.'' He is still trying to defeat Bansi Lal and a lot depends on tomorrow given the past record of last-minute shifts in Haryana politics.

Sonia and Pranab Mukherjee, though, held many meetings today convincing party MLas and other leaders that their plan will work out. In the 90-member Haryana House, the HVP has 35, INLD 22, Congress12, BJP 11 and Independents 10. The Congress is hoping that the support of a few Independents will make up for any HVP MLAs going with the INLD.