The demand, raised periodically -- on the eve of every quarterly National Executive meeting of the BJP -- has now assumed threatening proportions.``We are expecting more legislators tomorrow with the total number of dissidents growing to 50,'' said one of the activists. The group includes former ministers Surjeet Singh Dang and Devendra Singh Bhole who resigned from the Kalyan Singh Cabinet last week.

The dissidents' main grouse against Kalyan is his ``autocratic style of functioning'' -- propping up extra-constitutional centres of power, inaccessibility and lack of confidence in his own party cadre.

``The party can't ignore the demand of such a large number of legislators. If it does,it will do at its own peril,'' said Bhole, whose decision to quit is said to have brought matters to a head. ``If elections are held in Uttar Pradesh today, the BJP can't hope to win more than 75 out of total 425 Assembly seats,'' asserted Dang.

Vidhan Parishad member Rajesh Pandey claims the group has no particular person in mind as a replacement for Kalyan Singh. ``It should be someone who can carry along everyone in the party and the Government,'' he said.The rebels fear that the party will meet the same fate in UP as it did in the Delhi Assembly elections if action is not taken soon.

``The party leadership will have to take everyone's sentiments into account. Any other decision will reflect on party's electoral performance,'' said Pandey.

The BJP currently has 177 MLAs in the UP Assembly. Kalyan Singh also has the support of 20 MLAs of the Loktantrik Congress, 17 from the Jantantrik BSP, two from the JD (R), and six Independents. Contenders for the chief minister's post at the moment include UPAssembly Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi, state BJP chief Raj Nath Singh, PWD and Tourism Minister Kalraj Mishra and Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon.

But if the BJP decides to replace Kalyan, a backward leader, with another backward minister, the names of Cooperatives Minister Ram Kumar Varma or Union Minister of State for Petroleum Santosh Gangwar could be considered, BJP sources claimed.