New Delhi, Feb. 1: The Congress’ pre-poll alliance plans for Uttar Pradesh have been thrown into uncertainty a month after Sonia Gandhi sent feelers to Mayavati by way of New Year greetings over telephone.

An indication of the Congress’ unforeseen problems in wooing the Bahujan Samaj Party chief was available last night when Sonia spent over two hours with Mayavati at her home here.

It was the second meeting between the two leaders in two weeks after Sonia greeted Mayavati on her birthday at her Delhi home.

The Congress chief tried to “impress” her to come forward for a pre-poll alliance in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere in the Hindi heartland. But indications were Mayavati was not forthcoming with a formal alliance.

The most she was willing to offer was apparently an informal seat-sharing arrangement in which the BSP would leave a certain number of Lok Sabha seats uncontested — for the Congress to contest — and the Congress would not field candidates elsewhere in the state.

Sonia was accompanied at the meeting — organised at her initiative, according to sources — by her key adviser on Uttar Pradesh affairs, Salman Khursheed. He has been holding informal parleys with Mayavati and other BSP leaders for some time, though without much success in forging an alliance.

The Congress had hoped to identify allies and clinch deals with them by January-end. Uttar Pradesh has been on top of its list of priority states for alliances as the party organisation is weak in the state, which accounts for the largest number of Lok Sabha seats at 80.

The Congress was tightlipped on the discussion and its outcome. Sonia even skipped the reporters waiting outside Mayavati’s home by leaving through the rear gate.

Apparently, the Congress chief has made little progress in convincing her BSP counterpart to walk together on the alliance path.

Aware of Mayavati’s vulnerability in the Taj heritage corridor case — in which the CBI is believed to have gathered clinching evidence to proceed against her — Congress negotiators have in private tried to assure party support.