NEW DELHI: Two days after projecting Rahul Gandhi as the party's PM candidate , Congress said on Tuesday it would put consensus among opposition parties above all other considerations, including over the candidacy for the top job.

Top Congress sources said the party may be willing to accommodate the leader of a non-Congress or regional party as the prime ministerial nominee if it gets the numbers in the next Lok Sabha election or in case of a lack of consensus on a Congress nominee.

'Ousting BJP is Congress's sole priority'

Sources said the party brass is expected to lay emphasis on being "accommodative" in order to appear as a coalition-builder.

Though Congress Working Committee reposed faith in Rahul Gandhi as the party's PM nominee, sources said top leadership is of the opinion that the party needs to follow an open-minded approach while moving forward in talks with opposition parties. The sole focus of the party should be to oust the BJP-led government at the Centre rather than discussing the issue of leadership of the opposition bloc, sources said.

Congress as well as the Left parties are appearing increasingly confident about the prospects of the opposition bloc performing well in the 2019 elections with most key players exhibiting a keenness to be accommodative.

While this may comfort regional aspirants like TMC's Mamata Banerjee , BSP's Mayawati , SP and RJD, Congress sources asserted it didn't mean the party was willing to play second fiddle to regional forces.

The broad consensus is that it is important to get together to defeat BJP and to ensure that the saffron outfit has little space for manoeuvrability.

