NEW DELHI, April 22: Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, facing uncertainty over his bid for a fourth term in office, declared on Thursday that a new alignment of political forces was possible after the current general elections.

Mr Vajpayee's comments in an interview to state-run All India Radio have set the cat among the pigeons as they will be quite worrying for the Congress Party-led opposition. There is fear the remarks are aimed at poaching from the rival ranks should the prime minister not get a clear majority.

It was for the first time in this election campaign that Mr Vajpayee has said that his ruling National Democratic Alliance is open to the idea of a political realignment after the election results are out.

"The post election scenario is full of possibilities, including the possibility of a realignment of political forces. We are again moving towards a coalition government, and the issue of political realignments may come up after the election results are declared," said Vajpayee.

Analysts noted that Mr Vajpayee's comments have come at a time when the NDA has been projected by various polls as hovering around the half way mark. And it is believed to be aimed not just at former NDA allies, but also other parties.

These include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which has been making sympathetic statements about Mr Vajpayee's Baharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Ms Mayawati of the Dalit Bahujan Samaj Party, another key player in Uttar Pradesh had refused an alliance with the Congress for the polls. But the BJP refused to elaborate on any plans of alliances. "Let us wait and watch what happens in the future," said party spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The Congress Party, led by Ms Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been critical of Mr Mulayam Singh in recent days for being soft on the BJP. The threat of a post poll pact between the NDA and Samajwadi Party is getting the Congress worried.

For the record, the Samajwadi Party has been forthright in denying any plans to support the NDA. But before a big election, Mr Vajpayee's comments have triggered a buzz among the smaller parties seeking some stake in government.

This could also indicate that the race to woo crucial Muslim votes in Uttar Pradesh will intensify. Mr Vajpayee has already embarked on that journey. Trying to reach out to the Muslim community, he expressed regret in a public meeting on Thursday that the communal riots in Gujarat left hundreds of people dead and many more affected.

"What happened in Gujarat should not have happened. Let us resolve not to allow another Gujarat to happen anywhere else. Hindus and Muslims should not view each other with mistrust," Mr Vajpayee said in Kishanganj, Bihar, to canvass for the lone Muslim member of his cabinet Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.