Congress President Sonia Gandhi today held consultations with senior party leaders, including A K Antony, as talks for an alliance with JMM for the next Lok Sabha polls and formation of a coalition government in Jharkhand reached the final stage.

Defence Minister Antony, who chairs the sub-group on alliances for the next general elections, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Jharkhand B K Hariprasad, AICC General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, PCC chief Sukhdeo Bhagat and CLP leader Rajendra Singh met Gandhi this morning to apprise her of the progress of the talks with JMM so far.

Earlier, Bhagat, Singh and senior state Congress leader Sarfaraz Ahmed met RJD chief Lalu Prasad. Singh said he was 100 per cent sure that the RJD would back the new government in Jharkhand. Congress has agreed to have a JMM Chief Minister in the state which in lieu has consented to give a lion's share of the 14 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress, sources said.