The much-awaited meeting between Chief Minister JH Patel and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda whose supporters have been demanding a change in leadership in the State finally took place this morning with former Union Minister SR Bommai playing the mediator.

Though both Gowda and Bommai maintained that the leadership issue was not discussed in the meeting, they were not prepared to categorically rule out a change in leadership. It was only Patel who asserted that ``the leadership issue is not before us.''

As per the agreement reached at the 90-minute meeting, Gowda and Bommai will start hearing the grievances of MLAs, both from the dissident and the loyalist groups, from November 8 in Bangalore. They will also meet senior ministers and try to sort out the problems amicably. Partychief Sharad Yadav will also be present at the JDLP meeting.

At the meeting, sources said, while the leaders skirted the leadership issue they discussed ways of strengthening the party and toning up the government's functioning. They indicated that this may also entail a reshuffle in the ministry with some additions and deletions and a few changes in the bureaucracy. There is also speculation that if Gowda is unable to force Patel out, he may settle for the head of State JD chief BL Shankar, a one-time confidant of the former prime minister.

Asked if a leadership change is ruled out, they said that it depends on what the legislators want. Gowda may still try to mobilise more MLAs to support the demand for Patel's ouster before the JDLP meeting. It is significant that Gowda, who is in the thick of the ongoing political crisis, will himself talk to the party factions, raising doubts about the objectivity of the exercise.

Asked if Gowda's participation in this exercise goes against the spirit of theagreement reached today, the sources said that there is no bar on Patel also joining in but he had opted out of it himself. They explained that Patel had decided against involving himself in the exercise as the MLAs may find it uncomfortable to air their views freely. But then this argument holds good for Gowda as well.

Emerging from the meeting, Gowda asserted that the Congress and BJP-sponsored no-confidence motion which will be voted upon in the State Assembly on November 6 would be defeated with the support of all the ruling party and associate MLAs. He said that the party would fight next year's Assembly elections unitedly.