Though a number of political formations joined together for various reasons to defeat the BJP-led coalition, a host of contradictions would prevent them from remaining cohesive when it comes to setting up the government.

Take for instance, Tamil Manila Congress which has three members in the House. It voted against the confidence motion but is vehemently opposed to the inclusion of AIADMK, whose withdrawal of support from the Vajpayee government ultimately led to its ouster, in the new government.

To forestall the participation of its arch-rival in the government, the party chief G K Moopanar has cautioned the Congress not to allow AIADMK in any alternative regime. In a statement on Saturday, he said "Corrupt elements can not be allowed to go out of one door and re-enter the government through another door".

There is a division among the ranks of theLeft also. While all the four parties-CPM, CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP-were united in their opposition to the BJP-led government, which they described as " communal", they do not see eye to eye on installing a Congress government.

While CPM and CPI are enthusiastic that Congress forms the government, Forward Bloc and RSP, having a joint strength of six, have clearly said that they would not support a Congress government having all along been opposed to the party.

If a Congress-led government assumes office and the President directs it to seek a vote of confidence, the party would vote against it, a senior RSP functionary said on Saturday.

He said the party could not shift from its anti-Congress position just for the fear that it would result in making elections inevitable.

There is not even unanimity as to who will form the government and who will be its leader. While Congress leaders have said that the party would stake its claim to form the government and the party's obvious choice for the PrimeMinister is the party president Sonia Gandhi, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM), comprising Laloo's Rashtriya Janata Dal and Mulayam's Samajwadi Party, also seems to be in the running.

RLM spokesperson Amar Singh said on Saturday that the Morcha had not yet decided whether to stake claim to form the government or join a Congress-led coalition or extend outside support to it.

Though political compulsions at the centre might have brought them together, both Congress as well as the RLM do not trust each other. Congress wants to regain its position of prominence in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh which can be only at the cost of RLM constituents.

RLM apprehensions were reflected in spokesperson Amar Singh's veiled criticism of the party when he said Congress had to make clear whether its main target was BJP or Samajwadi Party, which it had been opposing.