A cabinet meeting is now scheduled for tomorrow morning to decide the issue. Till 9.30 pm., Vajpayee was closeted with senior leaders including LK Advani, George Fernandes, Kushabhau Thakre, Pramod Mahajan and others to take stock of the situation as also to formulate a strategy before tomorrow noon, when Parliament begins its session.

The meeting that took place at Vajpayee's residence -- with him and LK Advani on one side and Sonia and Mannmohan Singh on the other -- was doomed from the beginning. Both the factions had already made their stand clear and there was no going back on it. No sooner did it started, say the sources, than Sonia Gandhi made her position clear to Vajpayeeand Advani: her party's stand can't be changed.

Both Vajpayee and Advani, it is learnt, pleaded with Sonia Gandhi to see reason and prevent anarchy in Bihar. The Congress, she was told, ought to ratify the President's proclamation in the Rajya Sabha as it was in the ``larger interest of the country.'' Vajpayee told the Congress president that he understood the party's compulsions, but it should rise above the narrow, sectarian gains and vote for the stability of the country.

Advani too a similar line and exhorted them to change their stance, even at this late hour. But the Congress leader, sources say, expressed her helplessness.

As was reported by The Indian Express on Sunday, the move was the last effort by the Central Government to keep the RJD away from power in Bihar. But at another level, point out observers, the Government, knowing fully well the Congress' stand on the matter, was eager to get mileage from the meeting since it wanted to ``tell the masses'' as to who stood where on theBihar issue. ``If we lose Bihar to Rashtriya Janata Dal,'' pointed out a senior leader, ``at least we will have the satisfaction of telling the truth to the people. The meeting would also serve to expose the double standards of the Congress.''

Soon after the meeting with Vajpayee, Sonia called top Congress leaders at her residence. The group, as was expected, decided to oppose the Government's stand on Bihar and also the motion as and when it was broughtto the Rajya Sabha.

Senior Congressman Arjun Singh, too, reiterated the party's stand later in the day and maintained that there could be no rethinking on it.

As things stand, Vajpayee Government has only a few options on Bihar (notwithstanding the Samata Party's pressure to keep the RJD away from power). These are: revoke President's rule, put the President's proclamation to the test of numbers in Rajya Sabha or let it lapse.

The Government, it is learnt, is likely to inform its decision on Bihar to Parliament by tomorrow.