Leaders of the two parties were trying to woo independents in order to secure power, with Congress officials anxious to derail the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s resurgence.

Bihar, with a population of 80 million people, is the second biggest supplier of MPs to national parliament. Political developments at state level are seen as having an impact on national politics further down the line.

With only seven of 243 seats still to be declared Monday, Bihar's ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had won 73, the Lok Janshakti Party 29 and Congress 10. For a majority, a party or a coalition needs to have at least 123 seats.

The three parties are partners at national level but bitter political compulsions and caste politics made them each go their own ways at state level in Bihar, resulting in the splitting of the vote.

The opposition BJP benefited from the infighting to emerge with 87 seats and political analysts said it possibly could wrest power from the RJD's president Laloo Prasad Yadav, who has ruled Bihar for 15 years.

The BJP has already offered chief ministership to LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who has so far declined to state his position in the jockeying.

The outcome of the Bihar vote has created strains within the federal coalition but according to analysts not enough to affect stability of central government.

Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi was to meet Yadav and Paswan separately on Monday and Tuesday in a bid to stitch up a solution that would keep out the Hindu nationalists -- even if it means rule by central government, in Bihar, party sources said.