State Samata Party president Raghunath Jha told newsmen here that his party intended to field nominees for Palamu won by the BJP in the last election as well as Lohardagga, Chaibasa, Motihari, Darbhanga and Katihar seats where BJP candidates finished a close second.

However, the final decision on contesting the seats will be taken at a State-level convention of the party beginning at Madhuban in Giridih on Friday, which is likely to be attended by party president George Fernandes and leader Nitish Kumar.

Jha's ire, according to sources close to him, stemmed from his desire to try his luck from Sheohar after the defeat of Samata nominee and former Union minister Harikishore Singh in the last poll.

Jha said hissupporters wanted him to contest from the seat, though he personally wanted Singh in the fray again against expelled Rashtriya Janata Party leader and sitting MP Anand Mohan.

The immediate provocation for Jha appeared to have stemmed from his anger over Samata Party leadership's reported reluctance to field him from Sheohar.

The trouble in the State Samata-BJP allaince began when senior BJP leaders, including its national vice-president Kailashpati Mishra, State BJP chief Nandkishore Yadav and leader of the Opposition Sushil Kumar Modi having unilaterally announced support for Anand Mohan in Sheohar.

"Modi and others are not official spokesmen for Samata Party.... We want Harikishore Singh to contest from Sheohar," Jha said. Mohan had won the seat with the help of the ruling RJD but later switched sides and even voted for the confidence motion sought by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.