New Delhi, May 5: The heir apparent of the Congress made a little more apparent today to the national audience that he had arrived as the party’s predominant political face.

Taking centrestage at a media conference televised live across channels from a five-star hotel here this morning, Rahul Gandhi courted new allies, teased old ones and stated quite plainly that his party was in the electoral race to win power, not for the consolation of becoming the chief Opposition.

“We are not going to sit in the Opposition, we will form the government. The BJP will sit in Opposition and Dr Manmohan Singh will be our Prime Minister,” he said.

Articulating his party’s long-term goals, alliances and policy pronouncements, the AICC general secretary presented an evolving post-poll doctrine of sorts which envisages the coming together of all “like-minded” parties which, according to Rahul, share a common vision of development and good governance.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu — both adversaries in this battle — were picked out by Rahul for praise. This is being interpreted in political circles as a less-than-subtle overture to them.

In 2004, the Congress under Sonia Gandhi had moved swiftly to form the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) which was based on the doctrine of keeping the communal forces at bay.

However, this time round, the issue of strengthening secularism is unlikely to be a cementing force, given the deep schism between the Congress and the Left over the nuclear deal and the party’s strained ties with other “secular” allies like Lalu Prasad’s RJD, Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP and the Samajwadi Party.

Development, then, could be the new common ground Rahul is seeking to form an alliance with enough numbers to retain power.

Rahul repeatedly expressed confidence, though, that his party would win the elections and that the Left parties would support a Congress-led government and Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister.

Even as he chastised the Left for its “outdated ideas”, Rahul said: “I am confident the Left will support Manmohan Singh, he is the best candidate.” Despite his criticism of the Left, Rahul said the Congress shared many commonalities with the communists. “Our ideological differences persist but there is lot of meeting ground and reasonable amount of common space.”

The Left remained cold to Rahul’s poke-and-woo tactics today, and the BJP was sardonic about his praise for Nitish Kumar, an NDA ally. But sections in the Congress saw in his statements the seeds of a bid to build a new national alliance around development and nation-building.

“Rahul is attempting a political experiment keeping in view the changed times and requirements of the country,” a Congress leader said.

But more than his words, Rahul’s body language and the authority with which he responded to issues of central importance in these elections and after sent out a strong message that the new leader of the party is announcing his arrival on centrestage.

Manmohan Singh may still be the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi continue to lead the party, but it may be Rahul’s writ that will increasingly define the Congress line.

For many Congress leaders, the timing of his pronouncements was also notable; they come at a time when there is a growing perception that the life of the 15th Lok Sabha may not be too long and the party needs to ready itself for another big fight soon. This section of the party believes Rahul is now setting the tone for an electoral battle that they envisage much ahead of 2014.

Rahul’s new role marks an accelerated journey from May 2004 when a young and shy MP had joined the Congress back benches in the Lok Sabha.

There are whispers in the Congress that subject to the party’s electoral and political fortunes, Rahul may step into Sonia’s shoes as the party chief in the next five years with the mother taking up an advisory role as regent.

On the flip side, some Congress leaders found a few comments short of expectations. Rahul’s remark that the problem of terrorism can be resolved in “15 minutes” was taken with a bagful of salt and a sign that the leader was still in the process of learning.

His comment about a future tie-up with the Left made edgy some party leaders who wondered about its impact in Bengal where polls are due in the bulk of seats.

Allies Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan also felt let down and made their displeasure known.