While a formidable section of Congressmen led by RJD state president Sarfaraz Ahmed is categorically denying existence of an alliance with RJD, the faction loyal to former Congress president Sitaram Kesri is equally persistent in its assertion of continuance of the poll pact with the RJD.

The two factions have been consistently criticising each other for their respective stands saying they were detrimental to the interests of the Congress. Bypolls are being held for the seven assembly seats of Pupri, Raghopur, Bodhgaya, Belaganj, Tarapur, Govindganj and Sheikhpura. Of these the first four are held by theRJD, next two by Samata Party and Sheikhpura had returned a Congress nominee in the 1995 assembly elections.

After successive electoral defeats in Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, the Congress had entered into electoral adjustments with RJD in the last Lok Sabha polls. The party had secured support of RJD for eight of the 54 LS seats though it had contested 11 more independently.

However, a review committee constituted by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to "re-evaluate the viability" of the party's ties with RJD had recommended severing of relations in the "long-term interests" of the Congress. The Congress while finalising names of its nominees for bypolls had announced it would have no truck with the RJD.

Even before the Congress president formally approved the stand adopted by committee chairman S K Shinde, newly elected MPs and some MLAs had written a letter to Sonia supporting continuance of the alliance as it had paid rich dividends in the LS elections.

Kesri protege and Congress WorkingCommittee member Tariq Anwar is in the vanguard of the move to keep the alliance intact.